✧ alienistic ✧

Chapter One - Thrill of the Chase

“It’s been three days since we’ve had any decent money. I’m hungry,” Astra complained, her blonde hair falling in her face as she dipped her head into her hands.

She looked over at me as she sat back against the wall of the small nook we’d taken cover in, her wide green eyes shining under the twinkling lights that seemed to be everywhere you turned in The Rubble’s streets and alleyways. They seemed to expose your secrets, leaving nothing to hide. The deepened purples and blues of her orbital sockets made her look far more exhausted than usual, and my heart sank in my chest at the sight of her. She wasn’t wrong, and my own stomach growled at the mere mention of being hungry.

The hustle and bustle of people made it easy to hide in plain sight despite the lighting— not that we were in need of any kind of concealment. The Rubble was home to every misfit and ne’er do well-er that happened to mosey into that sector of the galaxy, along with survivors that managed to make it out of Madrigal and other humans who belonged nowhere and to no one. Astra and I were really no different from any of the others. We had to steal what we could, sell it to eat; barter to get what we needed, and, when we had a particularly good streak, what we wanted, too.

“I’m hungry, too,” I sighed, {e/c} eyes drifting downward.

We’d been living off of scraps for years, taking food where we could without pissing off a merchant or a pirate. Life wasn’t easy anywhere anymore, especially when you had the UNSC closing in at every turn to defeat The notorious legend that was ‘The Covenant’ wherever they landed. It was claimed that both parties tended to destroy everything in their wake.

But when Astra and I found each other, it was like kismet. We were both the same age, both orphans, and both completely jaded by the system that seemed to be set in place by a corrupt technocracy. The Rubble was lawless, and we liked it that way. Though when trouble came knocking, we had nothing else to fall back on but each other. She was like a long lost sister to me and I to her, someone that I immediately knew I’d never have to go through life without the moment we spoke. I took solace in the notion, especially after having gone through so many empty, lonely years bouncing from place to place, trying to fill the void in my heart and change the hand I was dealt in life.

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I scanned our surroundings for anything that looked valuable— valuable enough to fetch some money or at least a decent trade. But no matter where I looked, there was nothing to be had. Everyone who passed kept their belongings too close to the chest, and while I was adept at pickpocketing, I could only do so much when everyone else was, too.

Leaning against the wall, my back went rigid as I slid downward to sit beside Astra, eyes still trained on any unsuspecting person or item. Feeling slightly defeated, I rested my head against her shoulder, thinking about where else we could try to find some kind of currency instead. Maybe down a different alley, or in one of the bars… On another asteroid? Sneaking into a party might–  

But before I could string my thoughts together, my head instinctively popped back up, my line of sight honing in on what looked like a metal briefcase that swung at someone’s side. I clamored to lean forward as though it would help me get a better look at the object, and almost head-butted Astra in the process of my newfound hope.

“Hey!” She whined, leaning away from me with a confused expression.

But I couldn’t pull my eyes off of the item of interest, my brow furrowing as I continued to shift in my place on the ground to get a better look through the legs of the moving crowd. It wasn’t until the sea of people began to nervously part that I realized just what kind of hand held that intriguing case.

“Holy shit…” Astra drew out, obviously having chased the direction I was looking in on her own, her voice nearly a whisper. “A Spartan… ”

Slowly– very slowly, I let my gaze trail upwards, over the sturdy hand, up the alloy-plated arm, over the broad shoulder, and to the bare face that was exposed to anyone who happened to lay eyes on him. That was something very unheard of in his kind. A clear view was now the only thing to be had as I sat back in my spot, completely still and extremely intimidated.

Taking notice of the dark green, near black alloy that covered every inch of the soldier’s body, I swallowed hard. I’d never seen a Spartan before— not in person, anyway. I’d only heard the stories; been warned of what would happen if they finally had business on Rubble. They were the best of the best, trained and deadly. And there one stood, like nothing, beside a pirate I’d seen in the area quite often, chatting about while curious and fearful eyes kept steady watch as they passed. He held his helmet in his free hand and seemed a little less like the terrifying tales I’d heard as I watched him carry on the conversation— in that moment, he seemed more human than machine, the way they’d painted Spartans out to be.

“Maybe we can ask him for money!” Astra exclaimed in a whisper and tapped my shoulder excitedly, ripping me from my train of thought. “I bet they pay him pretty well!”

I could only shake my head, breathing a soft laugh through my nostrils. The inability to look away from the man that stood towering over everyone else was stirring. I wondered what he was visiting Rubble for, what sat beneath the confines of the large case he held. It could’ve been a stretch, but I knew someone of his caliber was not going to be carrying something of little worth, no matter where he was in the galaxy.

“No.. Whatever he’s holding, it looks important,” I hesitated then, pondering on my decision for just a few seconds longer. “I’m going for it, Astra. This could be what finally changes our lives. Maybe it’s something that’ll be worth everything.. And then we won’t have to live like thieves anymore.”

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head, and I could see her looking over at the armored man and then back to me from my peripheral vision. Still, I sized him up, uselessly, of course. I had no chance against him, and if he caught me I was as good as dead, or at least in a heap of trouble.

“Are you insane? You can’t steal from a Spartan! Do you want to die?” Astra squealed, concern written all over her features.

A real laugh escaped me then. Half of the fun of the steal was the risk; the adrenaline rush you got from the act. If there was any way to get your heart racing, it would’ve been this. And maybe it was a bit more stupid than anything else I’d pulled before, but desperate times did call for desperate measures, and I would’ve been lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to the challenge just a little.. No matter how it ended up.

With a deep breath, I faced Astra. Glancing back and forth between her eyes and the item of interest still firmly imprisoned in the Spartan’s grip, I held onto her shoulders tightly and spoke concisely.

“If anything happens, don’t come after me. Find a new place to be, eil monerasha. Don’t live like this forever.”

A moment of silence hung between us, and I could almost hear what she was thinking as she held my flickering stare. But in true Astra fashion, her next words were so inexplicably her.

“I think you’re being a little dramatic,” she smiled.

But her jaw was visibly clenched, and I could see the faltering in her expression, hear the worry that laced her voice. She always tried to laugh in the face of danger, but the small heist this time seemed to be pushing it, even for her electric spirit. Spartans were killing machines, human (if that) weapons for the UNSC. One wrong move around any of them, and it was lights out if they saw fit– or so we’d been told.

“Or maybe…” she began again, her own hands moving to grip my biceps.

I kept glancing between the item and her face, still focused on her words just as much as I had been on my thoughts. I knew if I continued to hear her out, she might be able to talk me out of what I was about to do.

“You shouldn’t try it this time,” she continued. “I’m not that hungry, I can probably go another day or two, easy. We’ll find someth–”

“Whatever’s in there must be important. It’s my new mission to find out,” I cut her off, shaking my head, courage coursing through my veins all at once.

I had to take advantage of the sudden bravery and run with it, or I would’ve lost the drive to do it altogether.

The tiny blonde’s lips parted to speak, but before she could manage another word, I cupped her jaw gently, giving her face a soft squeeze before darting off into the alley. In one of my glances, I’d noticed the metal case had been set down beside a young, human girl with black hair. I hadn’t noticed her prior, but assumed she was with the soldier, though he turned his back on her to speak with the pirate in a closer manner.

I wondered what secrets were being told amongst the two as I stopped in the middle of the crowd of moving people, quickly planning my next course of action. In a snap decision, I lunged forward, my feet carrying me toward the prize without my mind having much time to catch up. I held my hand out as I prayed to whatever gods the universe may have contained that I wouldn’t miss the handle that sat ungrasped atop the case. People fell out of my way, being pushed and shoved without my realizing it as I ran. Life simultaneously sped up and slowed down as I felt the handle connect with my fingers, a smile immediately touching my lips at the next step being a success.

My thought immediately after was if I really was stupid enough to think I could outrun a Spartan.

“{Y/N}!” Astra called out behind me, clearly having started to follow me despite my clear instruction. But her voice was already a faded sound that fell into the atmosphere; simply background noise.

“Hey!” I heard a girlish voice cry from who I assumed was the girl who was in charge of the case.

“Stop!” A booming voice followed from behind me as I darted through the crowd, heavy footsteps of each stride he took behind me seeming to shake the ground.

Goosebumps rose on my flesh at the sound, at the danger, at the threat that permeated his voice and presence despite the lack of any actual warning. Pure adrenaline and lack of any other thought filled my mind and body as I pushed myself harder, instinct searching for a way out of the trouble I now found myself in. It was fight or flight, and flight was definitely more predominant once I noticed a motorcycle just ahead, running and ready, its driver still seated.

“Wait!” I screamed, my voice panicked through my labored breathing, hoarse already. “Hey, wait!”

I gripped the handle of the case and sped forward, my heart pounding in my ears the only real sound I could hear. The motorcyclist noticed me first, and then the menacing alloy-covered man behind me. With a look of terror and a quick hand, he revved the engine and began to roll forward, clearly trying to get away from the scene.

“No!” I screamed, before I felt something hard and cold grasp at my back, tugging at my shirt.

I didn’t dare look behind me, I didn’t dare risk a misstep and fall to the mercy of the man chasing me. I’d always been fast, faster than anyone I knew, and I deeply began to hope that my little talent could at least carry me out of this situation -almost- unscathed. My lungs burned, my feet felt as though I was stepping on knives with every footfall. By some kind of miracle unknown to me, I managed to throw myself onto the back of the motorcycle as it sped off. Dust and dirt flew around us, and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach from the rise and fall of the endorphins I’d used up as I gripped onto the stranger in front of me for dear life.

I could barely feel the metal case against my chest, the item being securely held between myself and the back of my new getaway driver.

Trying to quickly take inventory of my limbs, I hoped they were all still there and intact through my moment of overdrive. As I attempted to calm my breathing, I remembered the cold sensation against my shoulder blade just before I reached the vehicle, taking notice then of how raw and sore it felt.

With a faint roll of my shoulders and a glance behind myself, I took slight solace in the fact that I was unable to see the Spartan any longer through the dust cloud that’d been kicked up by the motorcycle. Peeking at my back some, I could only see red streaks and the fabric of my top torn where, I realized all too quickly, his fingers must’ve grabbed me. That’s going to leave a nasty bruise, I thought, deciding I’d get a better look later if I could.

“Where am I going?” The stranger finally posed over the roaring of the engine as we found ourselves in another area entirely.

I hesitated. I couldn't go back to Astra, that much was certain. I couldn’t lead a Spartan back to her– I had to wait for the heat to die down. But it was then that I realized it may never die down. I’d stolen this mystery item in hopes that we could escape the impoverished life we’d been living since we were kids, but now it became all too real that it may have finally been the thing to separate us instead.

If what I knew about the UNSC was any sort of true, I was about to become public enemy number one regardless of what happened. I was lucky enough to outrun a Spartan once– and I wasn’t even sure I outran him so much as he decided to cut the chase short and take harsher measures to find me and the case I’d acquired instead. I held no hope that it would be possible to do it again, or to fight off a team of them when they decided to deploy on the mission of getting back whatever this thing was. Even if I sold it, traded it away, I was sure I would still be on their shit list for lifting it in the first place.

I silently damned myself for my lack of any important thought before jumping into this venture.