COSMO HUNTERS!

for a while, she was accustomed to waking up to a low hum of her ship. at times she would hear the miniature drips from the tap in the bathroom, or the radiators turning on upon sensing her stir or awake in the middle of the night. artificial sounds for a person who lived on a spaceship.

in the time where she had been far from home, she had lost her connection from the ambient sounds that was ensued from a fresh morning. the birds singing, the rattling of pans in the kitchen, the chatter from the road outside her window, the faint jazz that could be heard from next door.

hope left new orleans nearly a year ago and hasn’t come back, so it was strange to awake to something that wasn’t her alarm clock. it was more like a weight pressing against her sides, not one to bother but one to be aware of. this bit of weight also had some soft hair brushing against the side of her face.

it took her some blinks to adjust. being bathed in sunlight at the sight of your old bedroom growing up was a sensation that not many can describe. not a thing had been touched, relics of a young hope who had unfortunately grown up from her band phases and her obsession with plushies, and who had now developed into a particularly cold woman. 

this cold woman, though, was able to stir on her side and bring her brother’s sleeping figure closer, seeing that some of the bedsheets had slipped from his body. upon adjusting it over him, she saw his sleeping face soften and his breathing deepen, he was fast asleep.

from what she had heard, he had the same problem with sleeping that she did. the inability to relax and let go of the events you went through that day, the fight to let the night became your ally and something to rely on when your body needed the rest it craved. instead, the night became more of a sour friend, one which you would greet through your waking moments and continue to bathe in until the sun entered.

it was surprising, to say the least. she never thought insomnia could affect people on such a large scale, especially for a kid his age. but the absence of fun and lively activities that tired him supposedly made him more active and it was harder to put him to bed. he was going to turn eleven in may and yet he had a sleep disorder that should’ve affected him in the later years of his teenagehood.

he’s been through a lot, she thought to herself, brushing her fingers against every delicate detail on his face. connor had been robbed of his childhood because of this sudden illness that took hold of him, and there wasn’t a fiber in his sister’s body that didn’t want to get rid of it. but it required time and a lot of money. money might not be an issue, it was just time. time which hope may not have. because time was the catalyst for the paralyzation.

fighting through an early frown, hope allowed this embrace to linger for just a little longer, to provide the kid the warmth she had failed to give him during the time he needed her the most. hope felt awful for having left him, and she wanted to do anything to make up for it.

but to think that she’s going to be gone even after all of this is over . . . again.

sighing, hope looked down to her bed and saw something soft peeking through the sheets. she knew it was soft the moment she saw the dent and felt her feet brush against something composed of fluff. reaching from within the bedsheets, she grasped and fished out something that had her smiling from ear to ear.

it was harold, the duckie. he had been quite a big part of hope’s childhood. after winning him at a funfair, he was the equivalent of a best friend when the girl found herself unpopular in the early stages of elementary school. when people wouldn’t be her friend, harold was there to give her a cuddle when she felt loneliest.

he had quite a big head and two pink spots on his cheeks, suggesting a timid and embarrassing set of blushes. the outfit hope had picked for him was a t-shirt housing the name of her favorite football team, the new orleans saints. very patriotic but she loved being from this tropical town in the south.

aside from the aging smell of fabric, nothing on this yellow friend had changed. he remained still as adorably angry and fluffy as usual, and she knew mostly it was because of connor’s soft touch when it came to toys, he treated them with care. especially harold.

the young woman could almost imagine how he ended up here when he was supposed to be on the shelves with all the other plushies. connor had most likely reached to them and brought it with him when he determined to tuck in beside his sister.

setting her yellow friend to the side, hope turned back to connor whose lashes were batting and eyes flickered between the border of being awake and remaining in his blissful dreams. but as heartbreaking as it was to wake him up when he needed sleep the most, she found that she had to.

“ wake up, tyke. ”

he stirred slightly, and then the stygian pair of eyes soon looked back towards her, eyes which resembled hers in almost every way. they housed a brightness that can only be seen in that of children. the innocence remained in his soul, perhaps justifying his purity and goodness and inability to do bad things even though he might be tempted.

there was a cluster of stars in the eyes of this child and hope never wished them to burn out, as all stars do. she knew this constellation would be eternal. 

connor soon smiled and rubbed his pure eyes with his hands that had balled into fists and then loosened to pat around in search of something. she then placed harold back into his grasp and offered the boy a meek smile. “ i wanted to make sure he wasn’t lonely ”, he uttered in perhaps the softest voice she had heard yet.

hope rose on her elbow and allowed her cheek to lean against the open palm of her hand. “ does he get lonely when i’m not around? ”, she asked delicately and connor nodded. “ i can’t blame him, we were really good friends growing up. ”

suddenly, the mellowness in connor’s face was contorted with an expression hope never wanted to see again, and it was that of some sort of puzzlement intertwined with deep sadness, something a kid should never feel at this early stage. sadness was a universal feeling, and no one deserved it no matter how natural it was.

“ i think he’s going to be my only friend ”, connor croaked and then held harold to his chest, squeezing him so tightly it felt like he was throwing all of his strength onto a plushie, the type of embrace you’d see a kid giving a reliable adult. yet he remained so innocent. “ s-some kids at school don’t like to sit with me. they don’t play with me because my wheelchair gets in the way. ”

hope had to lower her head for a while. this was exactly what she feared. the prejudice that people show can easily be mistaken by something else in the naive mind of a child, they’re too young to learn about the problems of the world, they shouldn’t have to be exposed to any sort of maltreatment at this age. 

especially if it was a personal experience. she couldn’t even begin to imagine the face of her younger brother drop as he watches the kids outside being able to swing from monkey bars and squeal down a slide or dance through hopscotch. he was different. and he was labeled as different because no one was willing to make him feel like he could be like everyone else.

and that’s what she hated, what made her blood boil, what made her want to grab a fucker by the throat and slam them against the wall before asking, ‘he’s a kid, why do you make him feel as if he deserves this?!’. because he didn’t. he didn’t deserve any of it. he didn’t ask for the illness and he most certainly didn’t ask to be treated like an alien when the sickness already took half of his childhood away.

instead of making him feel like he’s worthy of some sort of happiness, regardless of what it takes the form of, they choose to humiliate him and make him feel separate from everyone else. a kid should never feel like they have to separate themselves from people, that people don’t want to be near them. kids like connor had to feel like they were capable of imprinting the world with color instead of staining it with hatred.

hope might have not been there for him during these times, she knew of her absence and how it might have hurt her darling brother. it was why she pulled him into her arms and allowed his body to relax once more against hers. it was why she tried to give time for him now, to utter some words that might hopefully stick with him.

“ ever heard of universal kindness? ”, she inquired and felt the gentle head shake against her neck. “ it’s being able to be good and kind to everyone no matter what they say or do. some people aren’t universally kind, connor. but you are. you’re the kindest kid i’ve ever met and i’m so . . .”. she had to pause as to avoid getting emotional.

“ i-i’m beyond proud, i’m more than proud of you for that. so even when people aren’t kind to you, never let it be a reason for you to give up on people. always try to be people’s friends because one day, there is going to be that one person who will play with you and like you even if you’re in a wheelchair. ”

her fingers now brushed through his jet black locks and tickled behind his ear, he seemed to have relaxed once more. and upon taking a glance down, she noticed that beam return to his face and that’s what gave her the strength to return it, giving him a light squeeze in her arms.

i may be the most flawed individual in this world but there is nothing i wouldn’t do for my baby brother or my family, she thought.

it was difficult to get out of bed, especially with the cuddle he was giving her but the moment she heard the rattling of pans grow louder and the smell of pancakes with apples and cinnamon, her stomach roared and she was soon making her bed and getting ready for the day.

connor had managed to get back on his wheelchair and went to immediately see his mother whilst hope chose her outfit for the day and then opted to shower first before anything else. except, of course, someone was already in the shower and she had to wait.

once the door opened, she leaned off from the wall and spotted dom. his hair seemed to have been washed as it appeared wet and he looked refreshed, some tinted pinkness in his cheeks from the shower but it wasn’t natural enough to disguise the bruise.

she glanced at him for a moment when he took notice of her and gave out a grumbled good morning. her lips quivered but she chose to speak, “ what are you using to make it heal quicker? ”.

he stopped slightly and turned to look at her, fixing a cold gaze onto her figure. she gulped and continued. “ the bruise. it might heal quicker if you use something on it rather than covering it up with make-up. i-i can ask my mom to make somet— ”.

“  —is the guilt starting to settle in, captain? ”.

her cheeks now burned. 

perhaps she did feel a slap of guilt across the face every time she saw it, it wasn’t a nice sight and it wasn’t nice at all to know that she was behind it. having received a similar injury before, she could tell it hurt. but what angered her the most was why she had done it in the first place.

thinking back on it now, it was rather childish. but then again, he had struck a nerve he shouldn’t have. it was difficult to tell exactly who was at fault, but hope knew she had done it regardless and she didn’t want to be reminded of it every time she saw the purple mark just below his eye.

“ y-yes, it is ”, she managed to say. but then didn’t linger long enough to see his reaction. she found that she was growing vulnerable around these people, allowing her weaknesses to be seen. she’s never been bashful near anyone, yet here she was.

hope entered the bathroom and closed the door firmly behind her, before letting out a sigh of relief.

it was a good ten minutes inside that bathroom, taking care of herself and allowing just a few moments to relax, she can’t easily lay back and enjoy a tender moment with her family like some people. hence why when she came home, it was always counted as a special occasion.

rarely getting in touch with her feminine side, hope decided that a summer dress would do underneath a denim jacket. this was mostly how she dressed at home, her mother would often wear clothes that made her look ten years younger. it was a trend in the everhart house to never get old.

“ there she is! ”.

hope smiled sweetly at her mother upon entering the kitchen. the pancakes she made every easter had remained a tradition since before hope was even born, so it was no wonder her dad was up early and so was connor, eating and chatting away at the table.

peering into the living room, she spotted vivienne braiding dawn’s hair for the day, though she didn’t see enzo nor quinn. it was weird, enzo had completely disappeared last night and supposedly he came back when most were still asleep.

vivienne, looking up, saw the puzzled expression on the captain’s face. “ he’s still in bed, i suppose he got some severe jet-lag and crashed after a trip to the bar last night ”, she voiced.

“ he went to the bar? ”, hope repeated.

“ yes, with dominic. ”

sighing, hope wandered to where he was staying. he had crashed in connor’s room, and she could tell this because she saw his bag as soon as she pushed the door open. and there enzo was, still tucked away in bed, bare arms exposed to the fresh exhales of the wind entering through the open windows.

so he had gone out for a drink. she didn’t know much about the guy’s background nor if he was accustomed to earth, but most people tended to go to bars for a breakaway from the hectic lives they lead. a pirate must lead a hectic lifestyle, even if it consists mainly of stealing and running from authorities.

just how exhausted was he? hope walked over and let a passing gaze over his sleeping face before leaning down slightly and shaking him by the arm, he grunted and soon his eyes flew open. “ morning, cap. breakfast is served ”, she mumbled and allowed him to slowly sit up.

“ uh . . . w-what time is it? ”, enzo asked through a yawn.

“ nine o’clock. we mostly sleep in during easter but mom has some nice things planned for all of us ”, she replied. his eyes lingered around the simple bedroom belonging to her brother before resting on her. “ you should really get ready and dressed, it’ll be fun. and i’ll ask dad to whip you up a shake for the hangover. ”

“ what will it consist of? ”.

“ well, bananas, blueberries, watermelon . . . maybe some eggs if you decide you’re going to take an eternity— ”.

“  —i’m up. ”

back in the kitchen, hope was able to sit down with a plate of those magical pancakes along with a glass of apple juice. and for the first time in a while, she took her tea having her meal rather than rushing it and not savoring the flavor, a flavor she’s missed for so long.

whilst eating, she listened in on the plans for the day. there was an easter egg hunting competition a couple of roads down and connor was looking forward to going. after that, it was a lovely evening at a jazz restaurant and when the sun had set, a boat ride in the bayou at night. three things that were going to occupy her day and she was looking forward to it.

every time she went home, it was like a moment of healing. being among her family members and catching up with the things she missed and providing the affection she kept to herself, it was all a healing experience. it was like being among nature, being where you feel safe.

before they could leave, though, hope decided she needed to do something to thank her mother for the day she had planned ahead for everyone. she was always a woman who gave to others and then never took anything back, never asked for anything back. truly humbled, truly kind. it was no wonder connor was the kind boy he was.

so in order to recompensate for the things had been given to her, provided to her by the mother she had, she decided that some flowers would suffice as a semblance of gratitude. she took her purse and was out the door in a few minutes, her converse tapping against the sidewalk. 

immediately, she was greeted by the sun beaming down on her, and it was refreshing, to say the least, after having not felt it properly in a while. it was like a welcoming but ghostly embrace from an old friend.

there was a flower shop stationed not too far from where they had eaten yesterday, a five-minute walk from her house if she hurried. and she did, she didn’t want to miss the easter egg hunt. 

soon, she saw it, the flower shop named honeycomb. it was a family business that has been in the town for nearly fifty years, it was there even before her parents were born. and within, she saw a figure walking among the flowers. hope entered through the veranda and past the first few gardenias and poppies and towards this figure.

it was rare to see her in these instances, she would often be away at university and hardly came back to celebrate holidays that weren’t christmas or thanksgiving. but it was good to see her, regardless.

many people thought hope and this girl were perhaps siblings as they shared similar appearances, but their personalities were almost total opposites. hope was cold, and she was warm. hope was sour, and she was sweet. it was in her name.

honey lee.

the girl was hope’s age, if not a year younger. and she could easily be classified as a girl anyone dreams of having at your side, whether it be as a friend or as a lover. not only did she harness that docile aura that you can get lost in, but she also held the personality that made her remarkable. a personality hope sometimes envied, but honey was an advocate for self-love so that doesn’t last very long.

hair curled and rich in brown, honey turned upon sensing the presence beside her and widened her bright, green eyes. “ hope!”, she gasped and welcomed her into a tender hug, hope smiled and squeezed the girl gently in her arms. “ oh my god, it’s so good to see you! i didn’t know you were coming back. ”

“ yeah, well neither did i ”, hope mumbled and pulled back for a moment but didn’t part from the hug, it was too much of a good hug to part from. “ you got a perm, i’m loving the hair. are you working today? ”.

honey nodded softly, “ but only for the morning. dad’s hoping to have a barbeque after the sunday service but we might not go. it all depends on how he’s feeling. god, you look so pretty. ” hope grinned. “ so, what are you looking for? ”.

keeping an arm around the girl’s waist, hope hummed. “ mom’s been doing quite a lot for me lately. she’s got the entire day planned and i wanted to get her some flowers as a form of gratitude ”, she explained. “ care to lend me some flower power? ”.

“ flower power? i’ll give you some. ”

honey was a magician when it came to flowers, knowledgable in almost every sense of the word and she knew how to bring a bouquet together to summon a message, whatever the message was, whether it was of gratitude or a love confession or an apology.

what she had wrapped for hope was a mixture of pink roses with sweat peas and the fragrance that erupted from it caused her nose to tickle slightly and her eyes to water but it was a beautiful mixture of colors nonetheless. it was hard to convince honey to be paid for the service, she often led the assumption that she had to do things for the sake of charity on special days.

but just today, hope wanted to be a normal customer. and one that pays. so whilst leaving the shop and saying goodbye to the girl, she shifted to shove the money into her pockets and bolted when she yelled and asked her to come back.

“ hope! ”.

“ happy easter, honey! ”.

the venue for the egg hunting game was not too far from her, though she had to hurry as to avoid being late, passing by hortense’s house and grinning from ear to ear whilst racing through the market. it was held at an open field nearby the playground by connor’s school, he hadn’t stopped talking about it the night before. 

by the time she got there, some families were already present and hope struggled to spot her or any of the pirates until she saw dawn hopping on her feet eagerly, she seemed quite lively today like she had cracked out of her shell. and new orleans does that to a person, it served as a catalyst for breaking out of any bounds holding you back from having a good time.

“ there she is ”, she heard her mother’s gentle voice calling and then heard it gasp when the flowers came into view. “ oh my god, who are you proposing to? ”.

hope laughed and pretended to offer it to vivienne, who caught onto the act and put on an exaggerated gasp whilst preparing to accept it before hope swiveled towards her mother and placed the bouquet into her arms. “ it’s for you. you helped plan this entire day out, it’s only nice that i offer something in return ”, the girl exclaimed.

“ oh, honey! ”.

“ she helped me pick it, actually. ”

it was difficult to be complemented with the tender pet name when you knew someone who’s legal name was just that. but she accepted the pleasant hug her mother gave her and looked about to see connor who was already taking part in the hunt. it was obvious he was being a little slow, and hope decided she could help him to pick up the pace.

there was an area for the parents with some beverages and snacks, but hope neglected it and chose to help her brother out. she picked her own basket and smiled fondly when connor spotted her, “ i only managed to pick three. ”

“ three? well, i’ll help you find some more. we can work as a team ”, she proposed. and it was indeed enjoyable. it wasn’t like hunting for convicted criminals who were wanted for bloody massacres and stealing millions but it was most definitely pleasant, distracting her from any thoughts that may have previously dared to bother her.

it was time to swift her mind into something domestic, she realized. it was good to focus on your work but it was even better to focus on the things that might matter slightly more, like your family.

there were eggs scattered all around and hope was able to search through bushes and look behind tables and under chairs and between tree branches in search of some, and gradually her basket began to grow heavier. she would put some eggs into connor’s basket so he wasn’t completely hopeless but he was managing it quite well himself.

she recalled climbing up a tree trunk and latching her fingers onto a branch to get the small nest of colored eggs and then hearing giggles from below, only to realize that some cheeky little children had tried to run off with her basket but thank goodness, her dad came to the rescue, tempting them with a little game of tag that easily distracted them, and hope then recovered her basket.

it was a ten-minute hunt for chocolate eggs but it felt like something more special, something that would be imprinted in the back of her mind as a pleasant memory that isn’t to be forgotten. especially after seeing connor’s face when she dumped the eggs into his basket, he gasped and just threw his arms around her waist.

his happiness was all that mattered to hope.

after ten minutes, a whistle was blown and the kids were told to stop chasing and to come to take a break. the eggs they got would be taken home and eaten, but many of the adults told them to share rather than hog all the chocolates for themselves.

connor hovered over with his basket on his lap, hope accompanied him not too far behind. “ i don’t think i’m going to be able to eat this all myself so you guys can have it as well! ”, he said and held the basket over to his parents and then to the pirates.

enzo cooed, “ this kid’s got some manners. i never shared when i was younger. ”

“ it explains a lot of things now ”, dom uttered, chuckling at the small rude he heard in response.

but even if they huddled around and tried to open their chocolate eggs, hope’s mother swept in quickly and told them to save it for later. because now it was time for lunch, and their table had already been reserved at another restaurant that was just as good as the one from yesterday.

of course, knowing her father’s tastes, it was a jazz bar. there wasn’t anything like in the places she’s visited outside of her hometown, not even some places in the colonies that basically carried entire chunks of culture to outer space. but perhaps that was the charm of it. sometimes things were just better off where they originated from.

on the walk there, hope had opened up some chocolate eggs, and offered it to the person walking not too far away from her, dom. he glanced at it and then took the piece, snapping it in half and savoring it. “ how are you finding it here? ”, she asked. having never had a proper conversation with dom, this was like a breath of fresh air. perhaps a fresh start. unless if he wasn’t willing to let what happened to go.

“ good. artistic and colorful, not what i’m used to but it’s better than the same old bottom end of the top bunk and enzo snoring the night away ”, he replied, a hand tucked into his pocket. hope chuckled and shook her head gently. “ you look happier, though. smiling more, talking more. i suppose being at home restores your energy. ”

for a moment, it felt like he understood her. she paid him a small, meek smile and then nodded. “ it gets lonely on the ship. having no one to talk to, no one to drink with or have dinner with. it’s quiet, sometimes too quiet. and i only realize that after i leave new orleans. it’s a hub of sound and people, i miss it a lot when i leave ”, she said. “ plus, my family is like . . . my safe haven. ”

“ i see ”, dom uttered and grew quiet for a moment, but it wasn’t awkward. often it feels better to talk to someone rather than allowing the same tense air to drift between you that just damages the chance of getting along. “ hope, t-that guy from the restaurant yesterda— ”.

“  —malakai. ”

“ is that his name? ”.

“ want to introduce yourself now? ”.

it seemed to take dom a moment to realize that the said male was just across the street the moment they arrived at the restaurant. there was a small queue to be seated and hope realized she would be in plain view of the tan and gorgeous male. and for some reason, she didn’t want to be.

because it took her a while yesterday to figure it out, that being with malakai whilst the pirates were around was exceptionally dangerous. he had a keen eye, he was one to question and expect answers, he wasn’t passive like hiro who just let things be. he challenged and became suspicious, it was why he was in the communications branch.

and exposing the pirates to his dangerous pair of eyes could be . . . damaging. for hope and for the pirates, especially when he figures out that they most certainly didn’t work for voyage. 

he met eyes with the bounty hunter and beamed from across the street before taking off to meet her. her gaze went to dom who turned slightly to face the male, whilst also taking a small step to stand just barely in front of hope. she blinked and then saw malakai approach. “ happy easter, hope! ”, he cheered and looked towards dom. “ and who’s this? ”.

“ t-this is, uh— ”.

“ a friend. nice to meet you. ”

dom even went in for the assertive handshake, but hope never saw malakai’s smile falter, he grinned and accepted it. “ hi, friend. i suppose you’re both out to enjoy the celebration ”, he said and hope nodded softly. “ well, that’s great, so am i. uh, hope, do you want to meet up later? ”.

“ w-well— ”.

dom stepped in, “ she’s kinda busy the whole day, can’t you drop in a text message or an email, to be more professional? ”. she really felt like her jaw was on the floor, he was so cold! “ i mean, you’re workmates, aren’t you? you’d think that if it’s business talk, it should be classified and formal. ”

malakai’s expression froze slightly. but hope could almost see the gears in his mind struggling, grinding against each other. he wasn’t accustomed to people like dom who so easily assert, well, dominance. this was the first time hope has witnessed it herself, and she was rather impressed.

perhaps he understood the danger as well, dom never missed a single detail. he seemed like the type to always be careful, always take precautions. that’s why maybe he’s hesitant in diving into things head first like the mission with the puppeteer. hope looked over at quinn slightly and frowned.

“ i suppose you’ve made yourself some pretty formal friends, hope ”, malakai uttered and the girl, once again, replied with a very meek smile. it’s what she often turns to when finding herself speechless in front of this particular boy. “ but you’re right. i will send you an email instead. or, perhaps see you later tonight? ”.

she saw dom was going to butt in almost immediately through the way his lips opened but she quickly pressed a hand to his arm and leaned towards malakai, “ we can talk tomorrow. i’ll still be here before we leave. we have an important task to complete. ”

“ oh. ”

malakai, with his hands tucked behind his back, then took a step behind him. “ well, i suppose i should get going, i don’t want to get in the way of your evening. so . . . hope, friend . . . ”. dom nodded coldly. “ i’ll see you soon. ”

it was weird, seeing him walking away with an expression that wasn’t a smile. she always saw him as an easy-going person, someone you could easily talk to but aspects of his persona often disturbed hope in ways that can’t simply be explained. there was something that kept him from being totally trustworthy, and perhaps it was the fact that he was a colleague, someone who shouldn’t know of her interactions with people she’s supposed to be putting in jail.

looking at dom, his gaze never wavered from malakai until he was completely out of sight, she even shook him gently. “ you can look away now ”, she uttered.

“ hope ”, he started. “ i know we got off on the wrong foot and that you may want to hear this from anyone else but me. but if this guy tries anything, tries to say or do something, don’t be surprised. because something’s wrong with him. ” he looked down at her. “ keep your eye on him. ”

“ i-i will! ”.

it was tense but the moment was gone just as quickly as it had started, and soon they were within the walls of the restaurant. safe, hope thought. at least there was a sense of privacy and safety now that she had sat into a large group.

now, the lunch lasted way longer than a normal meal. and it was mostly because of the dozen conversations going on around the table, with her dad striking a debate with vivienne on the morals that had been established on venus and hope’s mother asking dawn what she likes to cook. on the side, quinn and dom seemed to be discussing the food and enzo and connor spoke about comic books.

they had all ordered butternut squash soup with some fresh bread and all shared some wine with connor having the occasional sips of apple juice. it took a while for hope to be involved in a conversation, she often listened in but never spoke to anyone until her dad started asking her about work.

“ they sent you to get him alone?! ”.

needless to say, he was on the verge of being furious when he found out about what happened with the puppeteer. he already knew the injury quinn had was caused by a mission but his face contorted with rage upon knowing it was caused because of the master of puppets.

hope smiled bitterly, swirling the white wine in her glass. “ i transferred the mission to someone else, asking voyage to recommend going in large teams to avoid any accidents ”, she uttered and her dad grunted, rolling his eyes. “ but we’re okay, dad. quinn’s healing better after mom’s food. ”

“ yeah, well, that’s bianca’s magic. she heals with food. as her mother did and her mother’s mother. it’s tradition, it’s a magical tradition but it’s just foods cooked with a lot of love ”, he exclaimed and smiled softly. “ when i, uh, lost my arm . . . your mother never stopped a single day when it came to making meals. she thought that the reason i wasn’t healing was because i wasn’t letting my mind to be healed. ”

hope pursed her lips, “ is that true? ”.

he seemed to struggle to find the right words for a moment, but his attempts weren’t clouded behind the smooth keys of the piano from the stage. “ i-i think i became convinced that my life wasn’t going to be the same. but i forgot that people were going to be there for me regardless, to help me settle with a new rhythm ”, her dad spoke and nodded. “ but i’m better now, much better. better than before. ”

hope smiled. he had the same problem as her. when he was working, he hardly ever came into contact and hardly visited his family and you could almost tell he was a different person when he returned during the holidays. but upon spending an evening with his family, he would mellow out.

the sourness turned to sweetness the moment he stepped him, and that was what hope experienced every single time she came home, it was what she was experiencing now. would she go back to the grump she was before after leaving? she didn’t want to, she really didn’t want to.

because looking at it now, she liked this version of herself a lot more. especially whilst looking at the pirates and seeing that they were happy, or at least in a better place where perhaps they were free to be themselves. a break from reality, from running away.

looking at them, hope found herself smiling. they were good people, she realized, people who made her life a little bit more bearable when she was on the ship. she knew how complicated she could be, but she found that she wanted to better herself for them. because even if she would be taking them home soon, she didn’t want to be remembered as someone who could be easily forgotten due to the bad memories she brought them.

she just needed to let her mind heal, and maybe then she could improve on herself, and never have to worry about the pain of saying goodbye to them. but would it be hard? perhaps. yet it was only a matter of doing the right thing and hoping they would accept her.

they were their own little family and that feeling of familiarity and warmth was always among them and she wanted to be a part of it, but then . . . would she be intruding? this was their family, not hers. even if they made her happy and earned a spot in her life, would it ever be vice-versa? was hope everhart just a symbol of hatred and sourness in the lives of these people?

hope held her breath at the thought and immediately forced her gaze down. even if she did try to change herself now, it wouldn’t change the things she said and did in the past and no apology would be able to suffice for the damage it did. so, perhaps this feeling she felt was only . . . one-sided.

an unrequited feeling of fondness towards a group of people who made her feel worthy of some sort of happiness. only to then realize they most likely didn’t feel the same way towards her.

after lunch, it was quiet, mostly because the people were starting to withdraw at sunset, to watch the news or prepare for afternoon tea, or maybe even a soccer game that was on. but this group was walking towards the bayou.

hope found that she was quieter this time around, not particularly reaching out to anyone. she walked alongside connor who was happily eating away at the easter eggs, occasionally asking him questions about school and whether he was reading the books she’d lent him.

the boat at the bayou had been rented just for them. it was a nice tour, and they made it just in time as the little critters of light came out from behind the trees, peeking shyly before commencing their flights.

“ what are they? ”.

“ fireflies. ”

upon climbing onto the boat, hope immediately sat down on the seat by the edge, wrapping her damp fingers against the cold railings and peeking over the edge. it was lovely, seeing some of the stars in the sky meeting their reflections on the water, and the fireflies dancing on the surface, illuminating all the lily pads and the lotus flowers in their path. 

the engine of the boat roared to life and soon it was moving at a steady speed, not enough to be racing but not slow enough to be tedious. she took note of the radio playing some lighthearted nat king cole and immediately saw her mother and father meet halfway for a slow dance.

it was impossible not to watch. ever since she can remember, her parents have been passionately in love with one another and the flame has never once tempted to be burnt out. it burned and burned and only one glance at them could give away the years of mutual love and affection that they gave one another, from the way they held each other to the way they looked at each other. 

hope smiled softly, tilting her head at the adoring scene and then looking out into the bayou, at the long hanging branches she could easily reach up to touch, at the bugs that circled around the fairy lights and the lamps scattered around the moving vehicle. 

at moments like these, it seems like nature joins together in a state of harmony. one quick look at her parents and she saw they had finished dancing, and even received a little round of applause from the pirates, and from their two children.

hope felt a presence shift beside her and noticed it was enzo, who offered her a smile but didn’t say much whilst looking out into the illuminated bayou. it was quiet for a tender moment until his voice rose, not loud enough to cut through the silence but audible enough for her to hear.

“ you looked slightly sad at the end of the dinner ”, he noted and she rolled her eyes before shaking her head. “ and don’t dismiss people when they think something is wrong, hope. i’m not saying this because i’m trying to be annoying. i’m doing it because i care. ”

was he really scolding her? she couldn’t help but chuckle and hold her hand to her forehead, before letting her gaze fall to her lap.

she didn’t know where to start, “ when . . . i was a kid, i didn’t have many friends. people just didn’t like me for who i was, and i was the exact same person i am now, my personality was intact by the age of nine or so. ” she gestured slowly, not knowing where to continue. “ a-and that left an imprint in my life that just told me i was unwanted. that i was better off alone and away from people, because even if i tried to show my real person, they wouldn’t accept it. ”

enzo didn’t interrupt her once. “ a-and i think part of the reason why i didn’t allow myself to open up to you guys so easily was that i assumed you were going to be like every other person who entered my life that wasn’t my family. that you were going to dislike me immediately and not get to know me . . . ”, she hoped she wouldn’t start crying.

“ but now you guys are giving me a moment to show the real me, the real hope everhart who doesn’t hate people as much as she makes herself to hate. and in the midst of this vulnerability, i realize where i went wrong and how i want to make it up to you and be a better person, even if we’re not friends and . . . i don’t want to be remembered as the one who was angry and bitter all the time, the one who punched dominic and the one who exploded with rage at almost anything, i want to be remembered as who helped. or tried to help. ”

“ b-because, i don’t care if you’re pirates. it stopped being a concern a long time ago after i realize that you were good people. good people i would never think of comparing myself to and the reason why you’re so good is that you bring out the best in each other. a-and you ended up bringing the best in me. ”

hope felt her bottom lip quivering but she inhaled deeply and fought through it, “ and yet i feel like a total outsider, maybe because i haven’t known you for long but even though you treat me so well, i feel like i’m better off the person i was before because i can’t join the family. i-i can’t . . . quit voyage to become a pirate, i can’t do that. s-so even if i’m taking you guys home, everything is telling to keep you around for a little longer. because even if it’s artificial, i can feel like i changed because i was a part of something. even if i wasn’t. ”

sniffling, she blinked and looked at enzo before smiling, once again, meekly. “ so, to make a long story short, i suppose the reason i’m upset is that i know i’ll never be a part of what you have. b-but i guess the lessons i learned from being around all of you might be what i belong to instead ”, she explained briefly. “ s-so, uh . . . t-thank you, for listening. i’m sorry. ” she shook her head. “ j-just in general, i’m sorry. ”

everyone has a fear, and it ends up being spoken at some point. and the fear hope held to this day was the fear of being insignificant, being forgotten. she was used to being the one who left a bad imprint on people or leaving no semblance or memory at all, a ghostly figure passing through people’s lives who is easily over-looked.

and there hasn’t been a moment in her life where she felt like she has been special to people outside of her family at all. it was like she didn’t exist for other people, and perhaps it was because she was just a bad person in general. hope had convinced herself she was meaningless, and maybe it justified the creature of hatred and bitterness that she had become.

they had left a huge imprint on her life. but what did she leave? some insults and a smack on dom’s face.

the boat ride was quiet, and when they returned to the docks, hope was the first to hop off. often when discounting her feelings, she feels like isolating herself for just a while to gather her thoughts. she played with her bracelet and once again, walked alongside connor’s wheelchair.

he wasn’t talking, he seemed far too tired to do any of that. but he looked over and gave her a sugar-sweet smile, one which made her lean over and caress his hair gently.

when they got home, she entered her room and immediately changed after a quick shower. she didn’t really want dinner, even though it was her father’s special barbeque. tonight might be the last night she’s in new orleans for a while, but she wanted to isolate herself for just a moment. her mother came in briefly and left her a plate of hamburgers and a can of diet coke on her desk, but didn’t call out for hope. she knew her daughter was upset, but she gave her space.

hope laid in that bed, her door wide open and windows were drawn up to hear the laughter and the shrieks of happiness from the roof, the story-telling from her father and the poetic singing of louis armstrong.

she looked to the side and spotted her fluffy friend looking back at her, harold the duckie. she reached out and grasped him into her bare arms and clung to him, similar to how connor did earlier that morning. “ today was a busy day ”, she told him. “ we went easter egg hunting and had lunch and mama louisiana’s and then went on a boat ride . . . but i always felt like i was the sheep following blindly behind them. an outsider, y’know? yeah, you know. you’ve heard this all too many times. ”

she paused and then turned to lay on her back, her gaze going towards the ceiling. and it was littered with glow in the dark star stickers, something she had put up many years ago and they remained there. “ remember when i came crying to you one day after school? when it was my birthday and no one knew? when i told my teacher and she promised to sing happy birthday but she never did? and when she told everyone, they all just stared at me, asking why i didn’t bring cupcakes? a-and there was another girl in there who had the same birthday as me and she got everything? ”, she questioned, only gaining silence as a response.

“ i felt like i was invisible back then, harold. a-and i still feel like that sometimes. ”

silence.

“ i-is this friendship thing just . . . n-not meant for me? ”.

more silence.

“ d-do i not deserve just a slight bit of it? a tiny bit of it? a-am i that much of a bad person? ”.

silence.

hope chuckled bitterly, squeezing her eyes shut.

there are few sights in the universe that are capable of inciting tears from the eyes of this starstruck bounty hunter. the suffering of others often causes the windows to the soul to leak, a picture of her family, the view of a starlit sky. these things are able to make her tear up.

but nothing can be quite the same as seeing her planet in the distance, approaching it slowly to take in the size of this minute planet holding the smartest beings to ever exist. it was strange to think that people came from here and spread out, scattering their qualities into the galaxy like pollen. or as others might say a plague.

planet earth hadn’t changed. global temperatures had been restored, there were frequent threats of war but the improvement of the space colonization process was what brought a sense of unity between everyone. every nationality had managed to fly out into space, normal human beings of all backgrounds. voyage had accomplished on maintaining a sense of peace in the world.

so, threats of war was no longer a thing. poverty had very much vanished from many countries as machines took over and global wealth skyrocketed, economies booming with the manufacture and it seemed like almost every country in the world was rich. especially now with voyage bringing in new resources from planets far away, energy to sustain human life not only on their home planet but across the solar system.

it was a prosperous time of peace on earth. and it was a good time to fly back.

the nebula had begun to ascend into the earth’s atmosphere, hope slowed her down as to notice the pale blue sky that she soon found herself flying through. puffy, white clouds and a blue sky, oh she felt like she could cry.

“ hope, i’ve sensed a sudden increase in your blood pressure. ”

a.j had spoken and hope laughed, “ it’s the excitement, a.j! i haven’t been home in ages, and there’s nothing like being home. ”

now, instead of pausing at the closest airport, hope had to travel. she had come through the pacific and now she was flying over a dense, but pristine blue sea just below her, she held back a squeal of excitement and proceeded towards what could only be described as the home she regretted leaving.

coming through the west coast of the united states, the nebula flew faster than it’s ever flown before whilst entering an atmosphere. hope saw many ships but the majority were planes which she indicated to as to avoid any accidents. and the nebula flew all the way to the south of the country to where the music was loudest and the colors the brightest.

new orleans, louisiana.

you’d think it would change from how it used to be but it was untouched. the stacked buildings and bars and nightlife were as feverous and as vibrant as always, the fever for music still burning and the people still coming and going with tales of a beautiful city with a charming background in every sense.

the nearest parking space for ships was not too far away from the french quarter, which was where the house that hope had grown up was stationed. the field was wide and many ships had already landed, and thank goodness there was one space available for nebula to lay at rest for at least a couple of days.

as soon as nebula touched down, hope removed her seatbelts and excitedly went down the elevator. to be fair, it was hard going around the ship without having a slight skip in her step, especially with how eager she was.

“ you’re looking excited ”, enzo pointed out when hope entered the lounge. and that’s when the realization settled in. “ h-holy crap, we’re back home. ”

hope was bursting with energy, she inhaled deeply as to keep herself composed. “ we’re in new orleans, my hometown. i know you might not want to leave quinn alone but i have an idea ”, she inquired and then paused. “ i just have to go ahead first. ”

“ new orleans? ”, the captain gasped and threw his arms up high in the air. “ oh, i’m going to love easter for the first time. go on, but hurry up! i wanna go out and explore the city of jazz. ”

hope didn’t need to be told twice. before she could even think about leaving the nebula, however, she got changed into something more . . . homelike. it was odd putting clothes that weren’t going to serve in hunting a criminal down, or clothes that belonged to the company she informally worked for.

it was about time hope threw on some normal clothes, though. so she slipped on a pink shirt beneath some denim dungarees and some converse shoes, deciding to let her hair be. no luggage was required for her to bring back since her room remained untouched when she was gone, and her mother washed her clothes even though she never uses them.

now hope was rushing, out of her room and out of the nebula. touching down on the earthly ground for the first time in nearly a year.

even being able to breathe without a mask or a helmet was a relief. the sun was hot as ever, but she could withstand it. grinning to herself, she moved out of the spaceship parking spaces and after paying her parking fee, despite being a citizen, hope then carried onto the streets she missed to dearly.

even from far away, before stepping out into a clear opening, she could hear the melodious clarinets and the shrieking of trumpets and some flirtatious hums from saxophones and the tip-taps of the hit-hats on a drum set. the smell of gumbos being made and served, the tropical heat and the sight of palm trees, oh it felt wonderful to be home.

her senses were all alive, but her ears were particularly blessed with the music native to this wonderful town, this diverse and creative town. in the years that it has remained alive, it saw many periods of discrimination but it persevered, this town down the south of the u.s survived.

seeing all the people made a difference, though. hope saw the various bars that had remained open, families and friends spilling out into the streets for a quick meal down by the native restaurant to have their taste buds satisfied by african-american delicacies. sighing softly, hope could have stood there for a long time, watching them.

but she carried on moving towards bienvelle street, where she saw a potent creole townhouse painted in turquoise with white details on the balcony bars in front of the long windows. that was her home, the home she grew up in and was never unhappy with.

“ hope! ”, cried an elderly voice not too far ahead of her. it was hortense, her very kind next-door neighbor. she had remained stunning despite the age that was catching up to her, her melanin still rich and her dark eyes as docile as ever. she carried a heavy louisiana accent that always made hope smile when she heard it, and she smelt like cinnamon with a mixture of coconuts, a lovely and nostalgic combination. “ is that you, hun? ”.

the girl grinned from ear to ear and opened her arms wide to greet the woman, cooing softly whilst embracing her smaller body. “ i’m home now! ”, she announced happily and after letting the hug linger, she cupped the woman’s cheeks softly. “ looking stunning, as per usual. ”

“ oh i didn’t think you’d notice ”, the woman laughed, her chortle throaty and welcoming. “ i’ve just been exfoliating. ”

hope rose her eyebrows and couldn’t help but wiggle them, “ trying to impress the man at home, huh? ”. and then laughed at the small smack on the shoulder she received. “ how is he? is he better? still working? ”.

“ still working ”, hortense replied with a nod. “ although, he has been at home very often to spend time with me. i don’t know if i’ll ever get used to it properly. when you get married, you’ll know. ”

hope tilted her head and smiled adoringly at the lady, she has always spoken so well of her marriage of nearly fifty years with her husband. in this modern world, romance wasn’t exactly too popular. people had recognized love as a chemical reaction rather than a spiritual bond, and yet, older generations managed to remain romantic. it was hope’s who was a little cold to the topic.

but she never excused the idea of marriage. her parents married at a very young age and their relationship was intact, perhaps maybe more now than before. it would be nice to find someone but hope didn’t think it would be anytime soon, she was only twenty-two and she hadn’t explored all she wanted to see just yet.

“ i’m sure i will ”, hope said softly before looking back at her house. “ okay, i’m going to pop in very quickly to see the family. i’ll be back soon before tea, i promise! i bought some . . . colleagues over! ”.

hortense gasped, and then smirked with a laugh. “ my girl’s already growing up, since when are you the type to bring colleagues, huh? i mean it, you never bring friends over unless if you want them to impress your parents. there has to be a boy involved. ”

laughing, hope waved to the lady and watched her head back into her home, her door was open and she could hear some classic jazz playing through the sound of what sounded like the woman scolding her husband. chuckling, hope then went into her own house.

you’d think new orleans would be impacted by the technology but people only evolved their way of living if it was necessary. hope’s family had to because her father was a bit of a lunatic when it came to science, but it had remained relatively twenty-first century based, in that they hadn’t changed many things.

unlocking the front door, she heard music from inside almost immediately. it was most likely her mother, who was fond of nearly every genre of music around the world except for country, she couldn’t stand it. today, she had seemed to stick to some art farmer, a beloved trumpeter that even hope held dear to her heart.

the house was separated in two floors; the bottom floor being the garage, the first floor being the kitchen and living room and workspaces, and the top floor being the bedrooms and at the very top, hope’s father set up his astronomy roof, as he liked to call it.

going up the stairs to the first floor, the music grew louder and upon reaching the top, hope spotted some movement from the living room, and then the movement came into view, her darling mother dancing, swaying, whistling and humming. youthful and fun as always, stunning as if age did not impact her beauty at all.

she looked almost identical to her daughter except for the hair which she’d dyed into a reddish-brown of some sort. regardless, it suited her. out of all the people hope knew in the world, her mother was the definition of effervescent.

effervescent and at times aloof. the woman was enjoying her music so much that it took her a hot minute to notice her daughter all the way down the hall. the woman gasped and froze, her hands covering her open mouth and her eyes wide, even from here, hope could see them tear up.

“ hi, mom. ”

“ oh, hope, you’re home ”, she sighed and rushed to give the girl a hug, a tight one that nearly crushed hope and her innocent bones but the girl just grinned and tucked her chin on the woman’s shoulder, letting the hug linger. “ oh, goodness, you should have told me, i would have dressed up better or done something about my hair— ”.

hope laughed and tightened the hug, “ you look stunning, mom. you don’t have to dress up for me, i wanted to surprise you guys. ” the girl lifted her head slightly from her shoulder and smiled at her properly. “ oh, look at you. ”

her mother grinned and kissed her cheek tenderly, then taking a step back and holding her index finger to her lips. “ your brother’s in his room, i think he’ll be happy to see you ”, she informed the girl.

“ where’s dad? ”.

“ went shopping, now go! ”.

hope’s heart stammered in her chest with excitement. her baby brother was someone she was dying to see, perhaps the one she most wanted to see. taking the flight of stairs up to the bedrooms, she stepped onto the birch plank floors and tried not to make her steps echo even though her mother was playing music downstairs.

connor’s room was the door across from hers, so when he was a baby who managed to walk, he would often burst into her room in the morning to wake her up. after that, it was mostly her who woke him up. it was noon, though, so he couldn’t possibly be still in bed.

hearing music from within his own room, hope pressed her hand to the doorknob and turned it slowly, before peeking her head in. the place hadn’t changed a bit, his bedsheets were the same and his action figurines were still stacked up on his shelves, along with scientific books and comics.

her mother was like her in that he loved some scientific stuff. the first time introduced him to doctor who, he binged watched two seasons within the span of a couple of nights during his school holidays. and when he got into marvel, she couldn’t stop him from buying almost anything iron man related. the boy loved iron man.

the kid was sat at his desk, but there was no chair sight. hope frowned slightly but tried to smile all the same. his wheelchair had changed, perhaps they had gotten him a new model that made it faster and easier for a kid his age to move. either way, it saddened her.

not because of the wheelchair, but because he was on a wheelchair.

resting against his doorframe, hope watched her ten-year-old brother for a moment. he hadn’t changed at all, his hair remained dark and his shirts were always colorful, he mostly wore summer-clothes as to avoid getting too hot. he couldn’t really swim anymore, so clothes like these kept him cool.

they seemed to have gotten rid of his glasses, though, and that’s when she recalled the message her father had sent her that connor’s eye surgery had worked out and his vision was perfect.

he hadn’t seemed to have taken notice of her until he turned on his wheelchair with something in hand. a letter, an envelope. her eyes widened for a moment when she realized it was lilac. every time he used a lilac envelope, it was meant to be for her. whatever the message was, it was always meant for her.

connor’s eyes went from his desk and towards his sister who was at the door still, completely frozen still. hope saw his legs, saw that he was no longer paralyzed from the ankles down, but now it seemed to have affected just below his knees. and the tears soon rose to her eyes once again.

“ h-hope . . . ”.

“ h-hi, kid. ”

inhaling through the pain in her chest, she rushed over and picked him up, sweeping him off the wheelchair and holding him like he was still a baby. in her eyes, he hadn’t aged at all. he was ten years old and with an illness that could potentially kill him soon if no one did anything.

she felt those fragile arms around her neck and his tearful face against her neck which muffled the sound of his sobs. the last time she saw her brother crying was roughly five years ago, when he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, which affected the course of his life, and it still does.

hope stood there, holding the crying boy in her arms and securing his legs around her waist. he wasn’t heavy at all, she could carry him around like this for hours. and she wanted to. to make up for the lack of presence she showed in his life, a life that was partially miserable. she saw him express his sadness to his mother one night, about being teased school, about being unable to be a normal boy.

sighing softly, she ran a hand through his jet black hair and kissed his cheek softly. “ hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to hide your face from me, kiddo ”, she told him, caressing his cheek gently to get a glance at his gentle features.

when he rose his head, hope smiled tenderly. his full cheeks seemed to have gone, and his eyes seemed sadder, there wasn’t that glitter of innocence in them anymore. his illness completely took that away from him. but she always believed that even when you’re sick, you deserve a normal life. but people around you are always going to make it difficult.

hope’s father became severely depressed after the news, it was only her and her mother who managed to fight through it and try to make connor’s life as normal as possible. he knew of his illness and she wondered what the pain was of having to go through a day knowing that this might kill you one day.

it was why hope had gone to join voyage. the pay was good, and her father also spoke well of it. so perhaps with enough funds, they could afford the surgery. now they didn’t have the funds to either cure the boy’s illness nor give her father an artificial arm.

but she fought through it, she wanted to heal them both.

“ how are you, hm? did you pick up piano like mom said you would? ”, she questioned. the jazz was pleasant, so she pretended to dance with him, only to invoke a little giggle that brought a wave of serotonin to hope’s mind. “ our very own chopin. ”

connor grinned, “ i started two months ago. i like it a lot. dad was going to teach me to play guitar but that was . . . before the accident. ” he appeared saddened for a moment until he pressed his cheek against his sister’s. “ but that’s okay! i prefer piano anyway. ”

“ piano’s classier, you’ll have fun learning it. you better invite me to your school concert, i’ll fight to be there ”, hope said and connor nodded eagerly. smiling softly, she heard the music on the boy’s speaker change. she recognized it to be some rolling stones. she gasped. “ you little sneak, you took the album from my room! ”.

“ i also took some plushies! ”.

“ hm, fair enough. ”

hope sighed softly and put the boy back down onto his wheelchair, making sure he was secured before smiling. “ right, well, uh what happened to the old wheelchair you had? did mom throw it away? ”, she asked.

connor shook his head, “ it’s in the garage, dad fixed it but we like this one. in case it breaks, though, we can always go back to the old one. ” hope nodded slowly and looked off into the distance. “ why? ”.

“ i’m gonna need it. ”

time skip  ﹏

“ oh, you’re back! ”.

indeed she was. she didn’t exactly ask permission from her parents, but she took the old wheelchair her brother used to the ship. there was a small control stick on the left armrest to make it easier for the patient to move. and the reason she’d bought it was because there was someone who needed it. quinn. and she didn’t want the kid tucked inside the ship for the two days they would be there.

she had brought the chair into the ship and had taken it into the bedroom, quinn seemed to have woken up and he looked much better than yesterday. what he needed was not to be tucked inside a bedroom when there was sunlight and food and people outside.

“ w-what’s that for? ”, the boy asked, visibly alarmed when the chair came into view. “ is that for me? ”.

hope managed a meek smile and brought the chair closer to him. “ you’re injured, still. but you can sit up, you can sit and eat and this chair is the best thing you’re going to get if you’re coming outside. it’s warm, and there’s food and music, you’re not staying cooped up here ”, she said and turned to vivienne. “ you can help him get into cooler clothes? ”.

vivienne smiled, “ of course! but uh, may i ask, how did you find it? ”.

hope paused and inhaled deeply. “ it’s my brother’s old chair ”, she said. after making a swift leave from the bedroom, she waited outside patiently for everything to be done and the doors slid open in around six or seven minutes, quinn had handled the controls of the wheelchair quite easily. hope chuckled as he moved himself out into the hall and gave a little spin in the chair. “ how does it feel? ”.

“ better than being in bed ”, he stated and then offered her a hint of a smile, she wondered just what it looked like in its full form. “ thank you for this, i’ll find a way to pay you back somehow. ”

hope shook her head, “ just enjoy yourself whilst you’re here. that’s all i ask from you. ”

it took some time but soon the pirates had gotten themselves dressed into some proper attire. hope had to lend dawn some hair clips from her closet as it would be a nice detail to the summer dress she had picked. not to mention the adorable flats on her feet. if she wore anything cuter, she would reduce her age to at least a teenager’s appearance.

the streets were more likely nearly the afternoon, most neighbors would be up and would bring meals to each other’s homes, having a lovely lunch together. the bars were all open, the children were spilling onto the streets with skipping ropes and footballs. you’d think that children’s upbringing would be different, but parents kept traditions alive so they could be young for a little longer.

“ so, this is where you grew up ”, enzo mumbled to her, he was walking alongside her, taking in the sights as if he was walking through a museum. “ it’s so colorful, and that music’s amazing! i wanna move here when i retire. ”

hope looked about for a little longer. the french quarter was a lovely place to live, and the food was better here than anywhere else in town. “ yeah, it’s a wonderful place. the best place for bringing up artistic people. my brother’s taste in music is already superior since he grew up here as opposed to a kid in california ”, the girl voiced with a small smirk.

enzo snorted, “ that’s something to be proud of. ”

needless to say, it was pleasant taking a walk around the french quarter. hope would have shown them more but lunchtime was coming around and she didn’t want them to be too hungry. so she stopped by her favorite restaurant, brennan’s. they served perhaps the best food in the entire city.

upon requesting a table, hope waited in line and took a quick look around. the walls were still painted green and the floor still checker-patterned. and the food smelled magnificent, as it always did.

they managed to get a big table by the window and hope helped quinn settle into a secure space before taking her seat in between vivienne and enzo, dominic and dawn sitting beside each other. hope’s never taken notice of it but they seemed to be close. even peeking at them at times, she sensed an amorous feeling from them, proximity. like her proximity to connor.

it was . . . cute.

when the time came to order, hope ordered a plate of gumbo with prawns and rice, and for the first time in a while, she settled with some water to drink on the side. whilst everyone else ordered and waited for the food, vivienne sprouted some conversation to fill the silence in.

“ so . . . you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to ”, the girl began and hope turned her attention to her. “ you spoke of your brother yesterday, but not the fact that he . . . has a disability. ”

hope hummed and looked down, “ i don’t see why it’s relevant. my brother’s been sick with muscular dystrophy since he was four. first, it started with his feet and over time it rose up to his legs. it’s just below his knee now. it just means he can’t walk, hence why he’s in a wheelchair. hence why i was able to get that one for quinn until he gets better. ” she motioned to where quinn sat with a slight smile.

“ c-can he not get treatment? ”, dawn raised, appearing concerned when there really wasn’t any reason to be. connor had been sick for a while and the alarm that hope used to feel had been blocked from her senses, she can’t spend some years of her life just waiting for her brother to do. she prefers to do something about it first.

“ he’s been getting treatment. but ever since my dad’s accident, no one’s been working and there’s not enough to pay for it. it’s . . . kind of the reason why i joined voyage. to raise funds. i don’t want connor to go at such a young age, it’s best to treat it before the loss of muscle power reaches vital organs ”, she stated and shook her head. “ there’s nothing i wouldn’t for him. ”

enzo’s hand met the girl’s back, feeling a gently pat on it. “ that’s admirable, hope. really admirable. and i think that with your hard work, within given time, both your father and your brother will be healing ”, he said and hope returned the smile he offered, it was good to be encouraged at times.

because sometimes she felt like she was fighting this battle all alone and that people thought it was meaningless, that everyone had lost faith in her. but to be smiled at and encouraged really brought some warmth to her.

she appreciated it. wholeheartedly.

when the food came, it was compliments all around to the chef, and the bounty hunter couldn’t blame them. they appeared famished to an extent, but the quality of the food really made a difference. vivienne even offered to ask the chef for the recipe in case she wanted to serve this meal on the go.

the dish really brought that sense of nostalgia in a ripple effect, her senses tingling once more with the richness of the food that incited memories of her childhood; going out to the bayou for a boat ride, playing hopscotch in the veranda, riding her bike around the neighborhood. it almost drew tears to her eyes.

she noticed she had tuned out and tuned back in whilst the pirates were talking amongst themselves. hope has never really sat to watch and notice them individually, and the way they spoke to each other, conversations jumping and attention shifting and bursts of laughter and groans of dread at bad jokes, it was like sitting in a family dinner.

hope remained quiet as she didn’t want to disturb them, just because she was there didn’t mean that they couldn’t have their bonding moments. besides, when was the last time they got to be out in the open like this? she stood up, excusing herself to go pay for the meals.

it wasn’t expensive and the waitress gave her a discount as she’d known hope for years. it’s magical, being a frequent customer. as she was tapping her card on the reader, hope’s gaze wandered to the door when it opened, and her food, which had settled so well, began to brew into a cyclone of dread within her.

it was like the sweetness and saltiness had become pure sourness and the food was beginning to rise, the water she’d drank couldn’t calm down the raging way her blood was running. it was fear, it was dread, it was a cluster of emotions that left her speechless and immobile for a moment.

when those bleak, black eyes met hers, she really felt like she was going to faint and she would have turned away and walked back to the table but it was too late now, he’d seen her, and his eyes looked like they would pop from their sockets.

“ hope, is that you? ”.

“ h-hi, malakai. ”

the said male scoffed and approached and pulled her into a tight hug that she felt like she was going to burn from. it was like her heart was about to shoot out from her throat, she was so nervous. and not the good kind of nervous, the worst kind of nervous.

he pulled back quickly and took a good look at her. he way taller than her, it felt like she was being stared down at like some sort of animal, an ant, one that could easily be stepped on by the intimidated aura of this particular young man.

malakai worked for voyage. he had joined at the same time as hope and they trained in the same squad for a while until he got moved to communications where he worked as a messanger in between colonies, carrying important messages from leader to leader.

aside from being relatively smart, malakai also harnessed the looks that brought quite the attention. those luminous ebony eyes, the tanned skin and dark hair, the pretty nose and soft details, he was quite frankly the epitome of perfection in terms of visuals, he never failed to leave hope stunned at times but his beauty at times . . . startled her.

“ it’s been a long time, wow! ”, he commented. it has been a while, it’s nearly been four, going onto five years since she’s seen him. “ you’ve changed. still short, though. ”

hope laughed slightly, “ don’t get rude now. i didn’t think you’d come to celebrate easter, i thought perhaps you’d be with your folks in portugal. ”

malakai quickly shook his head, “ nah, portugal gets boring. lisbon never changes so sometimes i stay in new orleans for special events. besides, i have family friends here so i’m not exactly alone. ” hope nodded and looked down at her hands. “ are you here alone? ”.

quickly shaking her head, hope nodded towards the table in the corner. and for a second, she saw enzo rise up in his seat slightly. like he was observing, or perhaps about to smash someone’s face in, she couldn’t tell the difference. “ lunch with some . . . uh, friends. they’re staying with us for easter so you’ll meet them eventually ”, she uttered softly.

looking back at malakai, his gaze remained on the pirates and hope couldn’t describe at his expression was. because he had just been smiling and now it looked like . . . nothing. plain, a colorful canvas splashed with white, monotone and blank.

but then it changed into a soft gaze as he looked back at her, “ i hope so. ” rolling her eyes yet again, hope chose to keep her gaze on the ground. he suddenly tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and then finally took a step back. “ anyways, i’m just here to pick up a delivery. i’ll see you around, then. ”

“ o-of course ”.

malakai nodded and upon collecting his food, blew the bounty hunter a kiss and then left. just like that. hope walked back slowly to the table, trying to recover from the revolting feeling she sensed when he had entered. it always happened, like a reflex action.

“ who was that? ”, quinn questioned. “ friend? ”.

“ boyfriend? ”, dom inquired. enzo’s eye seemed to twitch.

hope quickly shook her head, “ n-no, he’s a friend. we grew up not too far from each other, went to high-school together. he was my prom date but then we were always friends. he’s also in voyage. ”

vivienne’s eyes lit up, “ you looked close, he was standing quite close to you. look at you, you’re a bit red. ” eyes widening, hope covered her cheeks with her hands. “ i think he likes you. ”

hope smiles shyly and took her seat once again. the chatter sprung up again and she zoned out because she was startled after seeing malakai after so many years. he was always nice to her, especially back in high-school, and he was a rather lovely prom date considering no one else had asked her to go. vivienne wasn’t the first person who proposed the idea of him fancying her, she’s heard it before.

but she doesn’t really see it. he is just an amorous person by nature, affectionate, and fond of physical contact, nothing more. he’s never really made a move on her, never spoke about romance near her. so she believed it was the trick of the eye when others said he liked her. people simply taking his kindness as something else.

after the long meal, hope decided that the pirates could stay at her place. they could very much stay in the ship but that wasn’t exactly polite, especially since her mother was welcoming of people hope introduced. which was rare, hence why she persisted in letting them stay.

there was plenty of room around the house, mostly because there was a spare bedroom for guests. usually, hope’s grandmother would stay there, but the woman had formally moved to new york and she hasn’t visited in a while. there was a double bed for at least two or three people, some sleeping bags in the attic, and room on the couch. if connor wanted to sleep on hope’s bed, there would be space in his room as well.

it was an odd feeling, allowing people she previously had a distaste towards in her house. but it was better than letting them stay on the ship. for some reason, she wanted to show them what she was . . . actually like. they probably took her for an arrogant, cold and lonely girl. but she had a family, a family she loved very much and one that might be welcoming to them.

when hope introduced them, it was like connor bonded with them immediately. to her family, they were still voyage members. yet they seemed to have given up on the fake names. before they could, though, hope ran a search through many pirate databases on voyage in search of their names.

and there weren’t any names, nor many obvious pictures, only descriptions on their appearances. they still had bounties but it was unlikely her father was in the right frame of mind to be hunting or arresting anyone.

when they came in, she heard he was on the roof, getting ready for another night of star-gazing as he wanted to see some new constellations moving in. it was always his dream to adventure out of the solar system to somewhere new, he was an ambitious man.

hope walked onto the roof with her hands behind her back and saw her old man there already. he had a work station on the roof, a little seat for him to relax on and his equipment which was somewhat scattered around. usually, when it rained, he would pull up a field to shield it. he’d paid quite a lot for it.

it is a strange feeling, seeing your father who changed whilst you were away. his right arm was nearly completely gone, only some bits of his forearm remained which he seemingly hid behind a leather jacket. he remained handsome despite it all, he’d lost weight and he was growing a neat beard that suited him well. there wasn’t a single strand of white hair on his head, he always took care of his appearance.

but there was something on the man that puzzled the girl, and it was the lack of that party-animal personality he had. he should’ve been dancing around, playing music, singing whilst working, perhaps calling for his wife to come up to see something.

that was gone. he was silent as he adjusted his telescope. his most prized possession, his only look into the stars now that flying was out of bounds to him. the tears came flying to her eyes again, hope stared so helplessly at the man she admired so much and how he was coping. if he was coping at all.

he had his back to her, but he turned when laughter was heard from downstairs. and then his eyes settled on his daughter. similar to connor, he seemed to freeze and then begin to tear up, hope rushed to him before he could call her name.

and threw her arms around him tightly, securing them around his neck and hiding her face within the crook of his neck, feeling his only remaining arm wrap itself around her. he still wore the leather jacket her and connor got him for his birthday, he still wore the same perfume his mother gave him on their anniversary, he was still the same man in body but perhaps not the same in his mind.

not a single word was spoken for a good minute as she tightened the hug, letting her eyes close for a brief moment to appreciate the peace that being home brought her. it was a relief seeing her father well. she thought he would have changed completely, shut her out for having taken too long or refused her embrace. but he didn’t.

then, he spoke. “ i thought i wouldn’t be seeing you until connor’s birthday ”, he mumbled softly, his voice also hadn’t changed. at all. oh, god one cannot explain how happy that made her.

“ i wanted to be here sooner. i’m sorry i took too long ”, she uttered with a frown, not looking to pull away any time soon. “ i missed you, dad. ”

her father chuckled and then hummed. “ i missed you more, hope. i can’t even express how worried i was. about you and how you were handling yourself out there . . . ”, was what he continued with. “ but you’re brave, you always pull through in the end. and you always come home. ”

her eyes opened and her expression remained empty for a moment until one pristine tear fell from her eye and spilled down the bridge of her nose, running all the way down the tip before it fell onto the ground. a single tear. she’s never given herself the freedom to cry over anyone or anything, crying was always a waste of time and energy.

but this time, she couldn’t help it. this was her father. she knew many people out there didn’t have one as amazing as this one, or a father at all. she knew many didn’t have mothers, brothers. she knew she was incredibly fortunate to having something like a family to go back to when she had to retreat from the world.

she had a home. and she never took that for granted.

her father gave her another gentle squeeze before moving back slightly and taking a good look at her face, wiping the remaining tears away and patting her cheek softly. “ don’t cry because of me, hope. you don’t want me to tell you the magical tear story again, do you? ”, he laughed at the face she pulled and then let her sniffle and wipe her face. “ did you bring friends over? ”.

“ y-yeah ”, she breathed through her sniffle, and then settled with her hands in the pockets of her dungarees. “ comrades. workmates. they’re newbies so they don’t know much about what happens. they don’t have a place to stay for easter. ”

he smiled, “ that’s fine, we can open some space for them. and i wonder if they prefer hotdogs or hamburgers for the barbeque tomorrow . . . are any of them vegetarian? ”.

“ lucas everhart, you are truly a complex man ”, hope commented, seeing how his eyes softened with a sense of innocence. “ i’m glad you’re here, dad. ” he moved in and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

“ i am rather complex. now go, make your friends feel comfortable ”, he told her and ushered her away, she stood there for a moment, watching him go about his work. she wanted to speak more time with him, but she still had the whole of easter to enjoy his company.

heading down the stairs, she found connor in the living room with dawn and quinn, he seemed to be quizzing them about planets and whatnot and hope didn’t mind it so long as they avoided making it obvious that they weren’t a part of voyage.

in the kitchen, it seemed like vivienne and hope’s mother had started to get along. showing off recipes was always one of her mother’s favorite things to do, especially when feeding a large group of people.

she didn’t see enzo nor dom, however. she looked about but didn’t catch sight of them. “ they went out to the store, hope, they’ll be back soon ”, vivienne told her. the girl nodded and then went into the living room.

“ hey tyke, come here, give your sister some cuddles ”, hope said to the baby brother who immediately rose his arms to be picked up. when taking him into her arms, she was always gentle. looking at his face, they shared a sweet smile before she sat down on the couch, giving him space on her lap to relax. “ what are you guys talking about? ”.

dawn grinned, “ space-dust. he’s really smart, you know, he was telling me about the new goldilock planet they found in the milky way. ”

connor looked at hope and smiled eagerly. “ it’s really cool, but it’s too hard to explain it and i’m tired ”, he mumbled before resting his head against her chest. “ cuddles. ”

“ cuddles ”, hope repeated and looked down towards his small figure and the way his eyes closed, he did look rather tired and he smelt a bit like chlorine. “ did you go swimming? ”. connor hummed and nodded. “ see, i’m going to start crying if you keep things to yourself. tell me what you’re doing, connor, i wanna spend time with you. ”

he rose his head slightly and looked at her thought sleepy eyes, “ m’kay, i’m, uh . . . yawn, doing some swimming . . . a-and piano . . . an— ”.

“ okay, no, nevermind, shh, sleep ”, hope cut in and put his head back against her chest, smiling at the giggles that came from both him and dawn.

it was peaceful, the rest of the evening was composed primarily of introducing her family to the pirates. connor was fast asleep on her lap, worn out from the swimming and the excitement of today, he looked like he was going to burn with energy tomorrow so hope let him sleep.

her father wasn’t as curious about the pirates as she thought he’d be, and perhaps it may be because the topic of voyage may upset him. so they mostly talked about sports, music, art, things that anyone can join into. hope never stopped holding the sleeping connor in her arms, though, he looked too peaceful and too safe there.

the feeling of being home cannot be compared to anything else. being out in space is one thing but it’ll never replace the sensation of being in the walls you grew up in and being among the people you hold dearest to your heart. she made the most of it now, because things might change in a couple of years’ time.

in the midst of the silence, she rested her cheek gently against her brother’s head and closed her eyes. blocking out the sounds around her and only focusing on now, not tomorrow or the day after that, not yesterday or the week she had. now.

it was a catastrophe, bringing the boy into the ship without bringing him incredible pain. the way the others hovered over him and rushed him around, running about for cloths and freezing cold water and bandages and needles and threads. hope had to stand back because it wasn’t her place to intrude.

they had put quinn on one of the spare bottom bunks, and all hope could see from the window over enzo’s broad back was dawn’s head moving at times and the sweet sound of her voice which would often be interrupted by the pained cries from the injured boy.

she couldn’t watch, nor listen.

blinking slightly, she moved away from the door and like a ghost, carried herself to her room. perhaps if she fell asleep, if she awoke the next morning, this nightmare would be over. a self-inflicted nightmare, one which she had caused due to her very aloof plan of taking down a cybercriminal for good. and someone had gotten hurt because of her actions. because of her recklessness.

sometimes she viewed moments like these as pure karma. was this the universe’s payback for her unnecessary rudeness? for her snappy attitude? for her unkind approach to things? for her coldness? did she deserve this for whatever reason?

resting her hand on the wall, hope blinked a couple more times and then viewed her red hand where the blood was drying. before she could dry heave, she rushed to the bathroom and in a frenzy, hurried to wash it off, wanting to rid it from her skin, the imprint of her foolishness. hope then splashed her face and smacked her cheeks before groaning.

“ you didn’t stab him. you weren’t the one who told him to get hurt. so why are you the one taking all the blame? ”, the bounty hunter was scolding herself, her mother wasn’t there to do the job. looking at herself in the mirror, her plain face soon contorted into a growing grimace. she whimpered and ran to dry her hands and her face.

exiting the bathroom, hope paused for a moment and frowned more. her chance to get the puppeteer was gone because she put a group of innocent people in danger. they weren’t saints but they didn’t deserve to be hurt by something that was meant for her. why did she even agree to take them? she knew something was going to go bad, she felt it.

and now here they were, struggling to remain calm after their mechanic was struck by one of the androids. hope didn’t even have the energy to seethe with rage at the man who inflicted the harm towards them. maybe when she grounds herself, she’ll be able to actually feel . . . something.

“ hope! ”.

the girl let out a yelp and smacked a hand over her mouth before looking at who stood before her. enzo. looking concerned, hands behind his back. she saw this as the first time he’s ever seen her in this sort of state and she wanted it to be the last time, she couldn’t afford to lose it. not now. not when they needed to feel secure or sane.

she felt her food begin to rise and focused on not doing so, focusing on better well-being that might be brought if she attempts to sleep. gulping, she removed her hand from her mouth and upon adjusting her posture, let out a small sigh. “ sorry, i was a bit dazed, that’s all ”, she replied. and then looked in the directions of the rooms. “ is he going to be alright? ”.

“ hope, you’re shakin— ”.

“  —n-nevermind me! quinn, how is he? is he stable? does he need a blood transfusion? what about his internal conditions, is anything bleeding from the inside? i can ask a.j to do a sca— ”.

“ hope! ”.

“ oh for god’s sake, enzo, tell me! i wouldn’t give a fuck if i was at the verge of dying right now, my worries are on quinn and whether i’m going to have to fly a dead kid through space to burry him somewhere! ”.

hope had grabbed a handful of the man’s shirt and squeezed it into her fists, ready to practically headbutt him to get him into the right frame of mind. or maybe to fix her very own, which seemed to have gone haywire, melting in the worry and the guilt of the entire situation, she hadn’t even gathered the courage to lift nebula off.

releasing her grip from his shirt, hope let out a shaky exhale and covered her face behind her trembling hands. “ s-sorry . . . ”, she muttered, shaking her head. she was losing it, absolutely losing it for no reason. she knew quinn was going to be okay, especially at the hands of an expert like dawn. but in the case that he wasn’t doing well, the captain felt like it was her right to know. “ god, i’m sorry. ”

“ it’s alright, all of this is messing with all of us ”, enzo reassured her and then crossed his arms across his chest. “ but really, hope, if you think any of this is your fault, you’re mistaken. if anything . . . it was my fault for agreeing to come. we should have stayed. but then the thought of you handling it all by yourself, you wouldn’t have made it. ”

she hated to admit it but he was right. she’d seen those androids, they looked hellish, like things manufactured in the deepest pit of the underworld, murderous and cold. they would have reduced her to dust in an instant.

the girl ran a hand through her hair, “ so, it’s kind of both our fault’s. we should have come better prepared, with better ammunition and maps and more people. people from voyage. god, i don’t know how i’ll ever get my hands on him again. after this, he’s shifting, he’s not going to the same place. ” she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “ i lost him completely. ”

“ to be fair, it was too ambitious of voyage to throw you into a mission like that. one person could have easily died in there, they need an entire team ”, enzo spoke and frowned. “ i know you like to be independent, hope, but you wouldn’t have lasted a second in there by yourself. ”

“ i wouldn’t be able to handle fighting one of those things again. ”

“ what things? ”.

“ nothing. ”

enzo recommended for her to get some rest as best as she could. as if that was going to be easy, the horrors she’d seen today would come back to haunt her in the deepest parts of her dreams. perhaps she would dream of that pale picture that stared at her once in a dream, waiting, twitching, eager for her to step forward so it could lunge.

wandering into her room, hope grabbed her bathing equipment as she needed to wash up properly before thinking about going to bed. sometimes you forget things because you’re so exhausted. towel and soaps in hand, she wandered off.

the first thing she noticed after she started to fill the bath up whilst undressing is that her ankles looked like they had been bashed to pieces. it was probably from when she tripped up the juggernaut, forgetting he was made of metal and her legs were made of innocent calcium. not even dense muscles like hers would be able to survive without an injury.

her right ankle belonging to her dominant leg was pretty much wrapped in bruises, it was purpling. she could cry at the sight of it. it was horrendous, an enormous patch of purple on the surface of her skin and she didn’t even think to touch it, she just added drops of eucalyptus oil in the bath and hoped for the best.

bathing for around twenty minutes hope found her eyes closing spontaneously at times, hinting her exhaustion that had risen to a hundred ever since she properly relaxed. the smell of the eucalyptus oil was possibly the best aroma in the world aside from that of her mother’s food, it relaxed her body and her mind. but the images of today wouldn’t stop flashing in her mind.

and she tried to put them to sleep. she got changed after drying herself and searched for her sleeping pills and took them with a glass of water on the side of the bed. clapping her hands, the lights soon switched off and she tossed to her left side, the most comfortable side to sleep in. 

and then she waited, waited for sleep to take notice of her and take her away into a land of dreams, sweeter dreams compared to the ones she’s been having. her eyes were heavy but her body just wouldn’t relax. and every time she closed her eyes, she gets that sensation.

that someone is watching her, closely observing through some sort of entry, through some sort of gap through the space-time continuum. it was the feeling that lingered from having to deal with the puppeteer, the great, psychotic puppeteer.

the vision of his eyes came to mind and hope snapped her own eyes open and turned her bedside lamp on before gulping. she couldn’t sleep. even though she felt like she was going to faint, it was impossible for her muscles to relax. or her mind. nothing was relaxing. she was beyond perturbed. 

yet she didn’t want to stay awake. she needed to sleep. she needed rest, a.j wouldn’t let her lift off the nebula in the morning. realizing she was still on mars, hope got out from beneath her bedsheets and approached her window. looking out into the martian night sky. she sighed softly.

it looked too much like home. in fact, she just felt the homesickness growing painfully intense by looking at a sky littered with stars. it wasn’t earth, but among those stars, home could be spotted. home. 

“ a.j, what day is it on earth today? ”.

“ april tenth. ”

hope frowned. in two days' time, her home would be littered by color and lush, a new beginning to the seasons and a new beginning to life in general, inviting the bloom of flowers and the gathering of friends and family to celebrate rebirth. she wasn’t religious, but easter was somehow one of her favorite holidays.

“ would you like to send a message to your parents, captain? ensuring your safety? ”, a.j questioned once more.

hope looked out into the stars and then hummed, “ no. leave it. i’ll pay them a visit eventually. ”

time skip  ﹏

staying awake, it was difficult. but it wasn’t as if she would be able to sleep anyway, not with a million thoughts being fired in her brain. her head was consumed by all sorts of worries and perceptions, some that may be seen as worrisome but hope didn’t really share them with anyone. she felt that if she closed her eyes, she would see something. 

and this thing would keep her awake for hours at an end. there was a perfectly dark night sky out there, a sense of familiarity rather than floating through endless space with no awareness of time. she didn’t take advantage of it, though.

mars had a twenty-five-hour cycle, and currently it was three in the morning. the captain was in the lounge, nursing her nerves with a can of energy drink that she had stocked up on after a brief visit to a grocery store. she had spoken to enzo roughly five hours ago, and since then hope hasn’t seen or heard from everyone.

at this point, she was assuming the worst. the kid died, she was tempted to believe. nobody cared to drop in to tell her of anything, maybe he was still healing or was struggling to sleep like her and so they were trying to soothe him into a state of painless peace.

the doors slid open and hope’s tired eyes moved towards the figure that came in. it was dom, he looked like he hadn’t slept a wink either, still in the clothes from the mission and with a grave expression on his face. when he took notice of her, hope prepared to be yelled at.

to be blamed, to receive a good scolding. but nothing ever came. he just stared at her for a moment and then averted his gaze away. “ is he alright? ”, she questioned. “ the kid. is he okay? ”.

“ stable ”, dom replied and hope let out a sigh of relief, bracing herself for a but. it never came, though, as dom went over and got himself something from the vending machine. “ what flavor of energy drink do you choose? ”.

hope blinked but replied, “ cherry. ”

dom hummed and then tapped away at the screen on the vending machine. it was silent for a moment, hope had grown used to speaking to the rest but she never did the same with dominic, not after what happened between them just after they came out of the j-colony. his bruise looked slightly better but it was nowhere near healed.

“ he’s healing okay ”, he said to break the silence. “ the cut didn’t reach any vital organs but it was somewhat deep. a.j had a look, which was quite useful. but quinn’s healing slowly now, vivi’s watching after him in case he wakes up in pain. ”

“ i’m sorry. ”

“ don’t be. ”

for that and also for the bruise, hope wanted to say but was unable to.

dom walked near to the couch and hope saw the same cherry drink she was holding in her hands. popping the can open, dom took a sip and appeared puzzled for a second before grimacing. “ that’s strong ”, he managed to say with another shudder.

hope chuckled softly and looked to the doors when they slid open once more. enzo walked on through, it seemed as if he hadn’t gotten any sleep either but he at least had gotten changed. “ nice seeing you two getting along ”, he commented with a tired grin. “ why are you awake, cap? ”.

“ got a late-night craving. my sleeping pills didn’t work, so there’s no point in staying awake. besides, i was worried about quinn ”, she stated as the young man approached. “ is there enough medication for him? ”.

dom snorted, “ more than enough. ”

“ you could heal an entire army with what you’ve got stored in there, cap ”, enzo added before stopping by her and offering a small smile. “ quinn will be alright, he just needs plenty of rest and good food. i was in the kitchen, i saw some bags on the counter. did you go shopping? ”.

oh. hope blushed softly and looked down. she’s never been one to blush, at all. she was slightly embarrassed to have been found out, she was going to put the food back into the fridge but then completely zoned out and forgot. 

“ yeah, i did ”, hope revealed. 

enzo gasped and clapped happily, “ vivi is gonna whip us something good tomorrow then and i cannot wait for that. you should see the soup she makes when one of us is sick. ”

it was refreshing to see them back to their normal antics, it was better to see them all smiling, though, it brought a sense of safety. that she didn’t have to worry about all that’s happened and that all would be well within a given time. sure, she had missed the chance of killing the puppeteer.

but it was suspicious why voyage had even given her a task like that, especially one for her to complete alone. if he was on top of the list, they would’ve most likely offered her some sort of help. they didn’t, they forced her to do it by herself with the impression that she wouldn’t pass the task on, and she didn’t.

and now someone had gotten hurt. whilst she wanted to take the blame, the pirates didn’t allow her to. dom and enzo settled on the couch to watch something or play a video game, hope wasn’t paying too much attention to be sure.

because she soon lifted herself from the couch and left the lounge, her attention dragging towards the door of the rooms they were allocated in. she wasn’t too certain if dawn and quinn were awake, but she knew vivienne was, so it was worth going in to check. she could see with her very own eyes just what had been done to heal the boy.

once the doors slid open, hope looked into the room for the first time in a while. they hadn’t made a total mess of it, most of it was clean except for some bags by the window which hope assumed were clothes of some sort. or comfort items. 

craning her head to the side, her eyes widened at the sight. quinn was laying down on the bottom bunk of one of the spare beds, a blanket over his body. his chest rose and fell gently and some color had returned to his face. seeing movement on the top bunk, hope saw it was dawn, fast asleep.

vivienne had put a chair right beside where quinn laid, she had a reading light on and a book open against her lap. she was wearing some pleasant grey pajamas that looked rather comfortable. and it suited her a lot. upon taking notice of the other girl, she smiled softly. “ you’re still up ”, she noticed.

“ so are you ”, hope replied and approached her. she briefly crouched down beside the bed to get a better look at the sleeping boy. it was a weird habit of hers, something she had developed back home. always waking up early and immediately checking if her brother was still sleeping and if he was feeling okay. even now, it didn’t feel that different. “ poor kid . . . i feel awful for what happened. ”

vivienne reached over and brushed the hair out of quinn’s eyes, “ he was in pain but he never once spoke about it being anyone else’s fault. he just fell asleep a couple of hours ago after dawn gave him some morphine. ” hope’s eyes widened. “ i didn’t know morphine was even legal to have outside of a hospital. ”

“ yeah, well i needed it once a long while back ”, the girl described. she didn’t linger on the subject for too long and chose to sit on the edge of the bed rather than crouching and cause more pain to her ankles. “ he’s going to be fine, though. he just didn’t deserve getting hurt. ”

“ wait, did you deserve it instead? ”, vivienne questioned, turning back to her book with a chuckle.

“ yes ”. vivienne’s smile dropped. “ i would have rather gotten hurt than allowed someone else to take the hit. i should have stayed with you guys but . . . i don’t regret it. the puppeteer came into contact with me. he knows my name, my reputation, he knew i was nothing against him alone. but he knew there were people . . . people under my responsibility. ”

“ you think he commanded the attack ”, vivienne assumed.

hope nodded, “ it’s probable. he knows his own bunker, surely. it was easy for him to know we came in, we just weren’t careful enough. and it’s not enough to just shoot at the security cameras. he has eyes scattered everywhere. ”

she thought that he knew they were there even when they were above, on the surface of mars hunting for the ravine. those abandoned apartments, he could have easily stored something within them, something so high-tech that not even hope’s rogue sonar picked up anything. nothing at all.

but he knew that they were coming and when they were coming, it was how he worked. eyes everywhere, so everywhere that you couldn’t even begin to think where the first eye was. he was vulture flying above, waiting, watching as the prey draws closer before striking.

hope shivered slightly and shifted her position, trying not to think too much about the incident. it would make voyage angry but she had already dropped a word in, sending a distress signal as someone had gotten hurt during the mission and to pass the quest onto a team, not a single bounty hunter.

as strong as she was, she wouldn’t have lasted a second in there had she gone alone.

“ it’s going to be easter in two days back home ”, vivienne said suddenly, and hope was glad that she did. it was nice to talk about home sometimes. she relaxed slightly and nodded. “ do you celebrate it? ”.

hope chuckled, “ yeah, my family does. we’re not religious, we’re just easily influenced by others. but my mom usually puts chocolate eggs around the house and we all try and find it. usually, when he’s there, dad holds a nice barbeque for the neighbors. ”

“ no exterior family? ”.

“ nope, we keep to ourselves. besides, the exterior family is across the country. most are in canada, they like the cold for some reason ”, hope explained and looked towards quinn, fixing his blanket over him. “ i’d like to go there someday. ”

“ home? ”.

“ canada. ”

the two girls shared a gentle laugh, soft as to avoid waking the others up. it was nice, hope had to say. admitting it was hard but she liked the company, it made a difference. she knew that she was arrogant in the beginning, believing that she was fine on her own but sometimes having someone around makes a difference, especially for someone engulfed in solitude like this particular bounty hunter.

“ if you . . . want to go, to see your family, i could definitely tell the others we’re making a stop first ”, vivienne proposed slowly, trying to find the right words. “ i can’t remember the last time we’ve all been to earth. ” 

hope smiled. smiled. the pure selflessness had led to a sudden swarm of butterflies in her chest, it was very flattering to see the woman being so caring, she’s never quite seen anything like it. and it invoked a reaction that not even hope was used to. but the smile stayed for some reason, she didn’t try to wipe it away.

running a hand through her hair, the girl nodded. “ yeah, y-yeah that’d be nice. dad went through a lot a while back and i haven’t exactly been the best daughter, haven’t visited him. it’s cool between us but . . . i can imagine it looks bad ”, she explained softly, staring at her fingers. “ it’s nearly been a year since i’ve been home. ”

“ you must miss your family terribly ”, vivienne pointed out and tilted her head. she seemed to have forgotten about her book. “ is it just your parents and you? ”.

hope shook her head, “ it’s me, mom, dad and connor. ”

“ who’s connor? family dog? ”.

hope snorted and suppressed the urge to burst into total laughter. she slapped her knee slightly and adjusted herself on the seat, her smile didn’t fade, though. her eyes lit up at the mention of her brother. her tone even changed as she tilted her head and answered, “ my baby brother. ”

vivienne gasped softly, “ oh god, i’m sorry, i didn’t know. ”

“ no, it’s quite alright. he’s quite puppy-like, anyhow ”, the girl replied, her smile still completely intact. she appeared starstruck, but that gaze she had, that aloof expression of happiness, that was love. absolute love for a younger brother who she would die for. 

vivienne beamed herself, though it seemed to at something else. “ well, i can imagine you’d be very happy to see your family. we can go to earth, maybe it’ll cheer quinn up. besides, easter is a great holiday to go back home to ”, she suggested, looking back towards the sleeping boy. 

“ yeah, i suppose we can all go ”, hope said softly and nodded, and then looked towards her wristband. “ but . . . i have to take you guys to where you have to be. maybe you can get better help there. ”

vivienne frowned, “ do you want us gone that badly? ”.

hope was rendered speechless. she didn’t want it to seem like she had wanted to get rid of them or move them off her ship. it was just that quinn could find better help, better medication and better food somewhere where there was actually something to offer. hope had nothing to offer to them at all!

but she also really wanted for them to stay until he’d healed. and perhaps a stop by earth could do the trick. but hope wasn’t too certain about it until she looked at vivienne. she didn’t want them gone.

not now.

and perhaps, not for a while . . . maybe until all of this was over. until quinn was healed and until easter had gone by. she needed time to ensure that they would be leaving safely without voyage trailing behind them, on the hunt.

“ w-well, not really ”.

vivienne’s expression softened and she averted her gaze back to her book. “ then it’s settled. you can take us, i’ll tell the others in the morning. try to get some sleep, though, cap ”, the woman said and hope paused, she’s never been referred to as captain by vivienne.

nodding either way, the bounty hunter rose from her seat and wrapped her arms over her chest and walked towards the door, looking back for a moment. viviennne seemed to be happily enjoying her book, but she was smiling, even if it was ever so slightly gentle.

“ good night ”, she called back softly.

the m-colony was perhaps one of the few human bases in the solar system that touches solid ground. though smaller than the earth, mars held a behemoth city on its surface, capable of withstanding some of the conditions normal architecture wouldn’t be able to handle. this includes the slight earthquakes and sandstorms that occur on the surface of this red rock.

out of all the planets in the solar system, hope has never had the chance to visit mars, the earth’s smaller but stranger brother, the red planet, often suspected of harnessing life, harnessing magma and active volcanoes underneath its soil, capable of supporting life if the earth were to end tomorrow.

mars was not only colonized with methods of living to support human life, but it was also taken in as extra space for agriculture, and the endless fields of dust and mahogany dirt that seemed to stretch on forever were often used as a method of sport; racing. 

even whilst entering the atmosphere now, hope could see the hoverbikes speeding past each other in a series of turns and jumps over cliffs and fields and hills, the riders wearing suitable equipment like helmets and specific suits.

“ after this is all over, remind me to book a seat to one of these things, i was never fond of formula one ”, the bounty hunter told her a.i. she had been given clearance soon upon entering the atmosphere, and now she followed a set of floating lights positioned as guidelines towards the nearest base. “ but that, i can definitely get behind. ”

“ we can do so after we finish what we’ve come here for ”, a.j stated and hope couldn’t help but mimic his voice before rolling her eyes. nevertheless, a.j always made sense, they did have to finish what they came here for. 

according to her artificial intelligence, the puppeteer has been hiding out within the human m-colony, somewhere within a run-down version of the apartments the humans first built after they entered the planet. the structures were left to rot and many building companies gave up on bull-dozing the place. so now, it was there, a ghostly sight.

and home to a potentially conspiring force of evil, and hope had to stop them.

m-colony was covered by a massive, almost dome-like shield harnessing the oxygen required for humans to breathe. the city was perhaps as big as beijing back home, but nowhere as big as the j-colony. nothing could reach the size of that monolith of a city. 

skyscrapers, roads, billboards, and marketing spread all around her. she peered out through nebula’s window and inhaled deeply. it was all perfect, the systems were complicated but safe and not the types that could be breached. however, this might not stop a particularly nasty person from ruining it all.

and by this nasty person, she meant the puppeteer. not much was known about them as a person but they were capable of doing things that could potentially kill millions. all that they’ve done is steal money from global banks, leaving people with little to no money in accounts and sending the earth in a financial crisis a couple of years back.

upon landing at the docks, hope let out a sigh of relief. ever since she left the headquarters, she’s felt like she was being closely followed by the very company she’s been working with. so far out into space, they couldn’t exactly trace her location nor her status nor log into the camera feed of her ship, not without her permission. but she still felt odd about it, worried.

maybe it was nothing to worry about but she would constantly think back to beatrice yoh, standing on that stage with a proud smile on her face announcing the strict regulations that had implemented to avoid a mutiny or a coup. it was a haunting memory, ironically the worst thing hope has ever witnessed.

a powerful woman imposing a regime that was going to put people in their places, people who disobeyed. as someone who was breaching at least a dozen protocols, hope was beyond anxious. all for the sake of keeping these pirates somewhere safe before taking them to where they had to be.

removing her seatbelts from her, hope took the elevator down and found the pirates gathered in the lounge once more. there was a proper meeting room somewhere in the nebula but hope never used it, especially since she rarely had visitors. besides, the lounge made her feel less worried about all of this, convincing her to brush it off like it was a family gathering of some sort.

“ we felt bad for taking some of your weapons so we managed to store some new ones after a shopping spree at j-colony ”, enzo announced, loading a firearm that seemed to be a ray gun of some sort, but it looked like it was capable of so much more.

hope shook her head, “ i usually stack up on my weapons when i go back home. dad keeps huge storage of them in the garage, he’d lend me some. but i don’t know when i’ll be going home, so i appreciate it. thank you. ”

something she’s noticed within the coming days is growing used to the presence of these strangers. she grew used to quinn and enzo bickering during a game, she grew used to the rattling of pans in the kitchen from vivienne and dawn. she wasn’t so used to dom making any noises but she grew used to seeing him about.

she never thought she would get used to it, but she was getting there. it was still unfortunate to have to wait for someone to finish showering or for her to eat within a close range of people. but then again, baby steps.

“ oh, it’s not a problem ”, vivienne spoke. “ besides, you just said yourself you don’t know when that would be. but it’s good to have weapons in case another name pops up on the list. ” hope nodded, looking down. “ this puppeteer . . . are you sure you’re confident in going after him? ”.

the captain rose her head once more with a chuckle, “ well, i have no choice. voyage gives me the targets and i either accept it or pass it on. and i’ve never passed down a challenge, not a single one in my years as a bounty hunter. “ besides, this is not the kind of person we want wandering around. something needs to be done about them. ”

“ you say that and yet you’re letting us go along with you ”, dom said and hope looked over whilst adjusting her wristband. “ sure, enzo can be quite manipulative when he wants to be. but why not just let us stay here? ”.

quinn called from the other side of the room, “ scared to die out there, dominic? we’re safe in a larger group. besides, we might not even need to attack if this person is a cyber mastermind rather than, you know, a physical one. ” he looked over his shoulder and towards dawn. “ besides, the medic’s staying behind. ”

hope snapped her head towards dawn quickly, “ you sure you’re okay with guarding the ship by yourself? i mean, nebula is safe and all but you might get bored quite easily. ”

“ i-it’s fine! ”, dawn squeaked, waving her hand to dismiss the statement. “ besides, i only ever come to use when someone’s hurt. and going in a large group, you might find yourselves injured. i can somehow sense it. so i’ll stay here, preparing anything in case someone comes back hurt. ”

vivienne snorted, “ knowing everyone, i bet it’ll be enzo. ”

“ rude! ”.

after a small gathering, hope went and got changed into something appropriate for the mission and this time, she made sure to lock the door in case someone with curious eyes came in to peek at her again. slipping her jacket on, she looked into the mirror and noticed her hair. “ fuck, you’re going to bother me ”, she cursed and grabbed a hairband before taking to leave her room.

in terms of weapons and ammunition, she had plenty in her backpack, it was heavy because of that but she could persevere. besides, comfort was the last thing on her mind when she had a person to hunt down. but her preferred weapon of choice remained with the band resting on her shoulder, the rifle she’s spent years protecting.

“ you look like you’re going to war ”, quinn commented when she came out of the ship. the items felt heavy on her body but the sooner they got to hunting, the less she would have to worry about carrying the damn thing around.

“ i might as well be ”, she said and grabbed a handful of her hair into her hands and then tied it up into a semi-neat ponytail. her hair’s never been an issue but this was a serious matter and if she missed her shot because of a brown lock of hair, she was going to lose it. 

dawn grinned brightly behind them, “ good luck, guys! and stay together, don’t split up! ”.

m-colony was fuller today than most days, people spreading into the streets with excited beams on their faces. they didn’t seem to be aware of the armed group of people walking among them, but then again, the blinding lights may capture someone’s attention and then cause a frenzy, a daze. hope would have been lost in it herself if she hadn’t been focused on the matter at hand.

the place where the puppeteer’s lair was possibly located was some miles from the main city, the outskirts of the deserted lands that were of no use to the human civilization at that moment.

“ how are we going to get there? ”, vivienne called over her shoulder towards hope. since she was at the front, and the cacophony of noise was enough to cloud their voices slightly, she had to yell.

“ there’s a car service not far from here! all we need to do is hire one! ”, hope called back and looked around, checking her location on her wristband. the location was a good half hour drive from them, but perhaps the drive would be enough to calm her nerves. she doesn’t like going into missions tense.

the car service was definitely not far, it was cross the street. now that she thought about it, based on the positions of these billboards and the streets lined up, she recognized times square back in new york. she chuckled and shook her head for a moment, humans bring their brand everywhere. it’s quite cute.

“ alright, we can hire it for four hours. after the time limit, it shuts down and we won’t be able to get back inside it ”, quinn warned after they had gotten the car they acquired. it was a hovercar, like most, with a beige, suede interior. “ so i suggest we hurry it up. ”

“ hah, four hours is more than enough to find a man and kill him. well, knowing how insane space can be, i might just have to take that back ”, enzo put in a lighthearted tone, before shrugging and pulling the door open for vivienne and hope. “ ladies first! ”.

the car was similar to that of a jeep, except it was incased with glass windows holding the oxygen required for the drivers to breathe. a snoop around and hope found it to be in good condition to drive, so she threw the coordinates onto the gps and then adjusted her seat-belt.

dom had chosen to drive, so hope remained in the back seat and gave a quick look around them before the car started moving. she saw the billboards, the skyscrapers, and many cameras. cameras that the puppeteer could potentially be peeking through, being the sneak he was.

always observing but never courageous enough to step in and actually act. a coward in a way but an ironically brave one, considering he was capable of committing crimes with the mere click of a button on a control panel. a hivemind, smart enough to never had to step out a confined space hidden somewhere in mars.

well, hope was going to blast that confined space to pieces.

the ride out onto the quiet zone was, well, quiet. racing through martian landscapes, seeing the mountains and valleys up close. it was like a ride through the old deserts back home, but even deader. the sky wasn’t particularly blue, it was gloomy and the sandstorms in the distance were horrifying but the car persevered.

“ so, should we play a game ‘i spy’? ”.

“ i can only see s and i ”, quinn muttered under his breath. hope looked up at him with a raised brow. “ sand and an idiot. ” this time, the bounty hunter couldn’t help but chortle, the kid was too good. he could be a comedian if being a pirate ever got boring. 

“ i’ll punch some sense into you, kiddo ”, enzo warned with a glare, but it was passive. hope chuckled and looked out of the window as the car continued moving.

the ride couldn’t have lasted more than twenty minutes with how fast dom was driving. after ten minutes, they seemed to have exited the main part of the city and entered fields and large, vast structures which she assumed held cattle and livestock. perhaps even the farms needed to feed these people.

and after another five minutes, these structures soon faded and it was just sand and hills for a while. but then hope began to see something on the horizon, something tall and saw it as an apartment building of some sort. rotting and falling apart. another one followed briefly after. and then another.

checking the gps a minute later, hope’s eyes flickered to the terrain of abandoned buildings and she felt a chill run down her spine. “ well, this is it. hear that? ”, she questioned and it seemed like everyone held their breath. 

all that could be heard outside was the cries of the wind, sound traveled solemnly over a landscape of nothing but what was once a lovely place, lush of life and the humans that once lived there but now it was sleeping. dormant. not completely dead, not with a single human being there. but it most certainly looked like red limbo, something that caused hope’s breathing to tremble. despite seeming dead, it felt like something slept beneath the soil. sleeping. or very much awake. waiting. an eye peering through somewhere, looming over every stretch of the landscape in search of . . . something. a watchful beast.

quinn exhaled, “ sounds like my literal nightmare. ”

“ the quiet zone. well, now it’s quiet, didn’t use to be. once home to about a million humans, apartments and accommodation scattered everywhere. the first establishment of life on mars, and now it’s a ghost town ”, hope explained in a grave tone before reaching into her backpack. “ everyone, put your masks on. ”

“ the humans migrated, didn’t they? moved to the big city? why would he be hiding out here of all places? ”, enzo questioned mostly to himself before he seemed to figure out the answer himself. “ oh, he’s arrogant. ”

“ well, try stealing a hundred billion dollars from every global bank on earth. that’s a self-esteem boost ”, dom said before pulling his oxygen mask on. hope bit back a smile, she couldn’t help but agree. 

after putting on the masks, it was time to head out. hope remained cautious because upon entering a territory of a prying animal, you wouldn’t want to wake it up or even piss it off before you get the chance to come within single proximity of it. so she warned the pirates to keep quiet and to stick close together.

stepping on martian soil, it’s perhaps the most thrilling experience hope has felt. she’s been to titan, europa, io, even to jupiter but nothing felt quite surreal like stepping on the red planet. she paid a glance around her, seeing the absence of people, people she thought would be living happily.

but not a single one in sight. not a single one.

“ alright, in which direction are we going? ”.

hope looked towards a puzzled vivienne and then pointed northwards. the base was said to be located somewhere beneath the ground. where? she didn’t know. and she didn’t have the equipment to dig down. so she prayed that perhaps these apartments had a basement that this monster could be living in.

so they went north. crossing these structures, seeing them up close right from the very bottom, hope realized just how behemoth they were, craning her head back to peek at the very top. doors had come off their hinges, windows broken, the little playground area deserted and scattered with graffiti.

to think that normal people once lived there. biting her lip, she looked back just once. it felt weird, then again this is the first time she’s doing something like this, approaching the devil’s lair with hardly any preparation. all she knew is that she had to be the one to murder this guy. the pirates could injure him, but she needed that final bullet to be fired by her. no else but her.

“ you know, for a planet that was supposed to be earth’s sister, it does a good job in being anything but that ”, enzo commented before kicking a pebble not too far away from him. it rolled over and then paused. “ just . . . rock and dirt. is anything alive? ”.

hope looked around before she continued leading the way. “ well, first off, correct yourself. it’s earth’s brother, more like. ares, god of war, male, one of the twelve olympians, get it right ”, she corrected him. “ second off, they believe this is what an early planet earth would have looked like. magma flowing underneath the ground, sleeping mountains and volcanoes burning up all the elements of life. ice being melted by this heat, generating water, generating the incubators for life . . . except mars hasn’t changed that much. they believe it’ll be a few years until it’ll be like the earth. ”

“ i think it’s quite a shame. it’s so similar to back home ”, quinn mumbled. “ minus the sandstorms and earthquakes that could happen. it’s why some people are scattered to build on the surface and choose to do it beneath the surface. ”

hope chuckled, “ i watched the documentary. yeah, mars is great but it’s one angry planet that hasn’t settled in just yet. the black sheep of the family, if you will. then again, so was ares. ”

“ well, at least it’s not venus. ”

“ weren’t they in love? aphrodite and ares? ”.

“ i don’t want a history lesson on god sex, thank you very much. ”

after about ten minutes of pacing, hope’s gps beeped and the map on the right side of her helmet showed the red dot blaring. they’d arrived. but there was nothing. they were pretty much there but there was nothing, nothing but red dirt and painful silence.

“ well, looks like you got the wrong coordinates ”, dom voiced and turned to hope. “ are you sure this is where we’re supposed to be? we can’t dig down, we don’t have the tools for it. ”

enzo kissed his teeth, “ stop annoying her, dom and let her think. maybe this guy is using a field of some sort to blind us, invisible. like the cloaking feature, the one we had on our ship before we left it! or perhap— ”.

“ enzo, step back! ”.

the captain of the pirates let out an echoing gasp and took a major step back and the ground beneath him seemed to crumble slightly. and then for the first time, hope heard a sound. like something falling on the ground and so she advanced forward towards enzo and saw what he could have fallen into.

a ravine of some sort. except it wasn’t a natural one, it was artificially made, hope noticed the balconies and the doors and windows and the walls and noticed that some apartments had been built inside a huge ravine on the ground. and it was deep, at least a hundred feet in depth.

if enzo had dropped in, he could have died. not even the slightly weaker gravity could have cushioned his fall. hope took a straight glance down and winced before turning to the captain and patting his shoulder, “ nice reflexes. ”

enzo sighed nervously, “ y-yeah, well, i try. ”

“ so, i’m assuming this is it. a giant hole on the ground, of course, the base would be here, it’s where the red dot is. now, it’s a matter of tracing this fucker down ”, dom said and crouched down slightly just by the edge. hope anxiously moved closer to ensure nothing bad happened. she didn’t want him toppling over the edge. “ should we take a dive inside? ”.

of course, there was only one answer to his question. they had to go in. there must have been at least ten different levels of these apartments and they managed to get into the top one. it was like council estates in the united kingdom, with a balcony shielding the drop down. and below, a basketball court. desolate.

on the top floor, hope looked and saw nothing but doors and doors and broken windows and some other doors. all of them appeared to be broken down or scratched in some way. she frowned and started to walk slowly down the hall.

“ this is something of silent hill, this is creepy and i don’t want to be here ”, enzo muttered under his breath before calling out. “ uh, hope! can we hurry it up a bit? ”.

“ shut up ”, hope snapped and listened out for another sound. the only sound she heard was the pebble hit the ground, nothing else. just utter silence and it was grinding her gears with how cold it was, how desolate and lifeless it was. not even her ship was as lifeless as this . . .

but that’s when she sat it. a door at the very end of the hall. seemingly polished, not at all damaged like the surrounding ones, like the rot didn’t affect it like it wasn’t even supposed to be there. not a hint of rust in the hinges. nothing at all. an ordinary, new, polished door. 

hope hurried her steps and motioned over her shoulder for the group to follow her and they did, so when she reached the door, she set her hand on the handle. and then pushed it down. 

the door beeped.

hope flinched back in fear there was an explosive behind it but it was nothing, it was only the door which slid slowly open. the noise it created was ghastly, like a creature crying out. a creature so bizarre she can’t even compare it to anything. “ that’s definitely gonna wake someone up ”, vivienne uttered. 

“ well, then we should hurry. ”

stepping inside, it was unlike anything hope suspected. she thought it would have been at least cozy, similar to the vintage decorations back home. the way her grandmother used to arrange her furniture. a sense of home. but no, it was like she had stepped inside a spaceship. gulping, she grasped her riffle and nodded to the group after scouting around. 

they had landed in a hall of some sort, a hall going left, right, and forwards. and she didn’t like that. it suggested the idea of splitting up and she was exactly against it. but they were definitely in the puppeteer’s lair, there was no doubt about it.

“ i always say go forward. we’d be going deeper into the ground and away from the apartments in themselves. he’s dug deeper, anyone can see that ”, quinn muttered and stood beside hope for a moment. “ what do you think? ”.

hope rose her brows slightly after sighing, “ well, forwards is the only way to go. no turning back now, not when we’ve come this far. ” she nodded forward and proceeded, hearing the footsteps continue behind her. 

the halls were similar to that of the nebula, silver with lit lines dug into the walls, no lamps required to keep it lit. the floors were polished, some sort of marbles and it was making her footsteps echo, something she didn’t need at that moment. at the end of the hall, there seemed to be a sealed door. 

“ well, that was fun until it lasted ”, enzo snorted before raising his gaze up before humming. “ there’s an opening above us. and judging from these designs, there’s something for us to crawl through. like shafts. anyone want to do the honors first? ”.

hope shrugged and adjusted her backpack and riffle, “ fuck it, why not? ”. enzo reached up quickly and gave the shaft entrance a tap with the butt of his gun and it budged, it could be removed. he pressed harder and the hatch opened completely, more than enough space for her to crawl through.

“ need a hand u— ”.

“ mars has weaker gravity for a reason ”, hope uttered and then jumped, feeling her feet touch the ground. it was like she was lightweight for a second, she grabbed her hands onto the edges and then hauled herself up with the strength she had. she crouched in fear of hitting her head, but she never did. she looked about and blinked. “ uh . . . it’s another hall. ”

enzo scoffed before jumping through himself and climbing onto this new level and looking around. “ well, so much for my james bond movie moment. i always watched to climb through a shaft ”, he complained. hope snorted and rolled her eyes. “ alright, you lot, come through, it’s safe. ”

after the other three had crawled through, hope looked at the two ends of the hallway she could take and bit her lip. “ usually this should be easy, but it’s one way or the other ”, she uttered before standing properly, despite the quiver in her legs that she couldn’t hide. she was shaking, worried. 

ever since she had arrived, it felt like something was digging into her head, telling her to turn back even though she’s never been the type of person to give up halfway. no, she’s never even been the type of person to give up at all. so why was she so willing to drop her weapon right now and run back to her ship like a coward?

“ well, we could split up ”, vivienne suggested whilst crouching to adjust her shoes. “ i know, terrible strategy but we have each other on a call. we can trace each other down and send locations easily. it’ll be easier to trace him down. ”

enzo groaned but then ran a hand through his brown locks and clenched his jaw. “ right, well, not a bad idea at all. i’ve just seen too many horror movies to know how it usually goes down. but we’re capable, w-we’ll be fine ”, he decided and looked towards the captain of the nebula. “ i’ll go with y— ”.

“ no ”, hope interrupted. “ if this guy really forgot to turn his security on today, i’ll get lucky with one shot. one bullet. but if there’s anything else out here, at all, i’ll be able to protect myself from it alone. i can fight, but only alone. you guys work better as a team. if you find him, you can fight together. we have equal chances like this. it’s just better that i remain alone. ”

enzo opened his mouth to say something but seemingly closed it and glared down. he cursed under his breath and moved away. dom stepped up, looking at her with a puzzling look. “ you sure you’re okay going alone? ”, he questioned. 

“ yeah, of course ”.

it took some convincing. in fact, it took a lot of convincing. enzo was hesitant on letting her go by herself but there wasn’t really an element of choice available considering the circumstances they were in. for all she knew, this place was a maze and her memory was better when alone. her senses were better when alone. her fighting was better when alone.

she needed to this alone. so whilst she went forward, they moved back. and even if they went opposite ways, they could potentially end up on opposite sides of the quiet zone. and she wasn’t going to risk it too much, so she paid attention. she gripped the rifle in her hand, ready to use it when the time came.

the door slid open when it sensed her. it really felt like a spaceship, or like she was walking through a voyage base buried deep underground. the end of her rifle rose immediately as she carefully aimed and tiptoed in, and found herself in a wide opening. it was dark, but then a sound beeped and the lights snapped on. just like that. 

hope held her breath.

this was horrifying, but it felt like she was in a storage room. no, a lab. no, a huge hall of some sort with tubes scattered all around, displays of . . . robots. it felt like she had walked into a hall of fame, in which display housing a robot. robots whose models she’s never seen before. it felt like walking through a museum. alone. at night.

but there was a sense of familiarity in these robots. she’s seen something similar to them before, a long time ago, perhaps when she was a kid. or older than that. she looked around, but her guard never dropped. who knew if these things were sentient, aware of her and ordered to get rid of her.

when she thought about it, looking at the models of these robots, built to resemble humans, covered by traces of glowing blue lights over a black, armored body of some sort, she felt like she’d seen them somewhere at least before. perhaps during a meeting with voyage or a picture her father had shown her. 

hope gulped, aiming at them and seeing that there was no other exit nor entrance other than the very one she’d walked through. the door remained wide open and she could very much retreat but something told her to wait. with furrowed brows, she began to look around.

there were military crates stacked around, some laying down on their sides which someone used as a desk, based on the papers scattered and the lamp shining over them. who even uses paper anymore? hope, being a curious soul, picked one piece of paper and saw what appeared to be rough sketches of robotic models drawn. similar to the very ones around. they were all the same, though, and the one on the paper looked a lot more . . . intimidating.

whatever the puppeteer did on a regular basis, she wasn’t aware of. but she most definitely knew that he was fond of making weapons of mass destruction. why else would he make so man—

hope’s heart dropped. she gasped and dropped the piece of paper and bolted for the door but it closed firmly before she even got the chance to reach it. she let out a yelp and started to bang her curled fist into the metal in hopes that it would echo, in hopes that someone, any of the pirates, would hear it.

“ g-guys, guys! come back, guys! don’t go down there, please! come back! ”.

“ well, what do we have here? ”.

hope didn’t turn around at first. every muscle in her body seemed to freeze into ice, stone, whatever. she froze completely, paralyzed with fear. fear. she wasn’t accustomed to being scared, nothing in the universe could make her scared. perhaps death scared her. an early death, to be more specific but she still felt fearful. very fearful.

“ hope, the bounty hunter. top twenty on the list. i mean, you’re on the eleventh place! one more kill and boom, you might end up in the top five ”, the voice continued. hope gulped, feeling her previously frozen muscles begin to tremble. “ oh, don’t avoid my eyes, hope! look at me, let’s see that pretty face. ”

what could she do? if she wasn’t careful, this guy could potentially disintegrate her. fry her. freeze her and then pushed her frozen body to the ground. so she turned, reluctantly but she still turned. her bottom lip quivered and her breathing became erratic. but she still dared to look.

the puppeteer’s face appeared on the screen in front of her, a huge screen tucked into the other side of this enormous room. his face, far from ugly, was ironically terrifying. because he was a beautiful man with dark hair and oval, pale, clear face. lips pouty and jawline sharp. but his eyes . . . oh, his eyes.

they weren’t human, hope wanted to say. they looked far too unreal, far too artificial; two glowing, purples eyes looking right back at her. purple, of all colors, her favorite. it was like staring into an android of some sort, the ones used in modeling. he didn’t look real. but then his lips rose into a sickening grin that left her stomach aching, the food daring to come out.

“ beautiful. at least you’ve got that going for you, good looks. good looks, a decent wit, you also pack quite the punch ”, he uttered softly before paused and smirking. “ but you’re rotten on the inside, aren’t you? oh, i’ve heard all about it. the ice princess, the ice queen, lonely assassin. rubbish names, but i like the one i picked for you. wanna hear it? ”. he laughed suddenly, rather maniacally. “ hopeless. ”

she felt like she was going to faint but she battled to remain awake or at least aware of her surroundings, of the things around her. of her intention and why she was here. wherever this guy was, he most likely wasn’t near her. unless if he was behind the screen . . . literally behind the screen. 

but she didn’t dare to aim and shoot to try, especially as he regained his composure and his expression fell stone-cold once again. “ and now you’re here. all alone. right into my trap. i heard what you said, i’m insulted, actually. i’m quite capable of getting to you myself. but where is the fun in that . . . when i can do, this? ”.

at this, hope felt the ground shake. and the floor not too far away from her, with a circular frame attached to it, began to slide open. and from the ground, a figure seemed to have emerged. ascending. hope held her breath when she saw it was one of the robots. almost identical to the ones on the displays.

except it didn’t feel like it was just a dummy. the helmet it wore seemed to show an led light, lighting up within the shape of a puppet. a normal puppet, a circus puppet. a puppet you would see in the movies. but it was horrifying, the cheeks were large and the smile was crooked and the eyes were wide and staring right into her soul.

it was like something out of her biggest nightmare.

“ oh, this is so exciting! ”, the puppeteer cried and clapped his hands happily. “ marvelous, isn’t it? say hello to the juggernaut. handsome fellow, ain’t he? made him myself. he’s quite fond of games. especially one that includes, let’s say . . . a boomerang. ”

gulping, hope watched as the robot rose its metal arm, letting out small wiring noises as an object came into view. a circular object with inside cut open, it looked like a full boomerang. or like a flying disk of death, especially at the spikes suddenly poked out.

the puppeteer squealed, “ i love it when he does that, he looks like a superhero! eek, i can’t wait to watch this. hope versus the juggernaut. ” he clapped and whistled. “ let the match begin! ”.

hope’s eyes scanned the area and soon she grabbed her rifle as soon as she boomerang was thrown, lunging forward and ducking for cover behind a crater. thank god there was a fuck load of them around the hall. she ducked and saw the bladed boomerang dig into the door it had been thrown towards. seeing how much it had dug into the metal, her stomach dropped.

no, no, she couldn’t die here!

harnessing the courage, hope rose and slammed the rifle over the crate, looming over until she saw the juggernaut. it extended his hand out and the boomerang reeled back, ending up safely in his hand once again. oh, great, magnetism!

rolling her eyes, hope fired one bullet and it managed to see right through the range of the bullet and cut it. cut the bullet in half. “ oh come on! ”, the girl cried and threw her rifle over her shoulder before bolting to the sides, remaining behind the crates at all times.

the impact of lasers being fired in her direction hit the wall in front of her, so she tried to keep her head down unless if she wanted to get it cleaned from her head completely. she peeked once again and the juggernaut aimed its metal arm towards her and throw the boomerang. when it was thrown, before she could duck, she spotted something. something interesting about the object.

and then ducked before she could get her head chopped off. she rolled on her stomach after coming to a clearing and fired another kind of bullet, a stun bullet. and he wasn’t able to cut through it this time, especially with the boomerang gone. “ take that, motherfucker! ”, she yelled when the bullet met its leg. and then it beeped. and then it blew up.

oh, nevermind, that wasn’t a stun bullet, that was a mini grenade.

the leg had been completely blown off and yet the robot managed to remain firmly on its feet, and then it looked at her as if to growl or frown and drew the boomerang back. the juggernaut suddenly lunged and hope threw herself back when it jumped and smashed its fists into the ground.

like some sort of hulk-like move, the ground shook beneath her feet. hope cried out when the grip from the rifle was lost, it ended up flying out of her grip and over to the side of the room, which she wouldn’t be able to reach without getting a limb cut cleanly off. 

“ alright . . . let’s try it another way ”, hope growled and picked herself up from the ground, watching the robot approach slowly. it was heavy, heavy because of its armor so taking a step would take long enough for hope to jump away. and jump, she did. 

on top of a crater and onto another, leaping on top of one and then another, hearing the beams just barely missing her head. grunting, she fought her way across the room and then lunged up and forwards, and a beam just right past a strand of her brown hair, burning it off. 

but she managed to jump back to where her weapon was, leaping, gripping the rifle and rolling back over her shoulder until the soles of her feet met the ground again and her arms rose to aim. and then she fired another bullet. another mini grenade, rather.

it hit one of its arms but it only managed to burn the hand off, not the complete arm. hope growled and rose her rifle once again whilst rushing to take cover, but then the juggernaut threw the boomerang once more and it didn’t hit hope, but it pretty much chopped the top end of her rifle clean.

she gasped, ducking when the boomerang withdrew and a laser struck on the ground just beside her. throwing herself behind another crater, she looked at her rifle, well, what remained of it, and she swore she teared up at that moment. gnarring deeply, hope threw the rifle to the side. 

“ you’re gonna have to pay for that, dipshit ”.

she was going to have to do this properly. and in a potentially suicidal way but it was the only way out of this duel.

“ you know what i love about robots? ”, she dared to ask, and it seemed like even the robot had paused, staring at her. “ that anything they drop, anything at all, ends up being a weapon! ”.

in her grip now was the very leg the robot had lost, which she threw towards the boomerang and instead of reacting, it seemed like he let it happen. when it dropped, they both lunged at the same time for it, but hope had enough power in her to sweep her aching legs beneath the robot’s feet, tripping him up. she cried in pain, forgetting he was made of metal.

but she rolled forward and caught the boomerang. the handle was firm and free of spikes, which was a relief. hope let out a sigh and picked herself up, but grunted when it seemed like the weapon sprung up with a life of its own. and that’s when she realized the juggernaut was reeling back once more and if she got close, it could potentially be the death of her. 

so she caught hold of something and brought herself closer to it, knowing that if she weakened her grip she would end up chopped in half. grunting, she saw the robot pull harder for its boomerang, but at this point, hope’s genius struck again.

“ you want it? ”, she questioned through a strained voice. she smirked painfully before laughing. “ alright, here you go! ”.

she did let go, but not before pulling it and then letting it escape from her fingers. the impact, of course, was like a catapult effect. the harder you pull, the harder and higher it goes. and when the boomerang came back, it struck the robot instead of ending in its grip again.

he cut his own arm off. and without both hands, the boomerang was no use. smirking properly now, hope rose a cocky brow. “ so, should we end this? ”, she questioned, bowing her head in respect before sweeping under his feet and grabbing the boomerang, take advantage of his slowness.

gripping the handle, hope breathed and rose it, before cutting it into the robot’s waist. she cringed at the way the weapon shook at the impact and the gross sound it made, of metal against metal. but she pushed harder until she left a great cut on its back.

kicking it forward, hope watched it stumble and then kicked herself off the ground once again before throwing the boomerang. it cut into the robot’s hip, and then came back to her. she inhaled deeply, avoiding the spikes before going in for the final blow. 

grunting, hope sent the boomerang hunting for the robot’s head. and before it could fall, soon after it was sliced cleanly off, the bounty hunter turned and roundhouse kicked the head across the room. she didn’t care what the head hit. but she liked the sound the impact made.

it was dead, unmoving. staring at its fallen body, the bounty hunter then blinked back into reality. panting for a moment and hunching over to press her hand over her chest, it felt like her heart would give up on her.

“ i-i think i win that one. ”

looking up, hope saw the doors slide open and bolted. she didn’t think to look back at the puppeteer if he had come online once again. she ran for the door and down the hall she had come through and to the other end and when those doors slid open, she let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her shaking hand.

smaller androids, so many of them, with bodies mangled over the ground, bits, and pieces all over, ripped cords and wires spilling onto the marble floor. even if it was nowhere human, hope still felt sick to her stomach.

the pirates were fighting, they looked as if they’d been fighting for hours. she saw enzo stab the blade of his rifle into the chest of an android, she saw vivienne lead some of them into incinerators where they cried out as they burned. she saw dom shooting one of the ground before smashing his boot onto its head. 

“ hope, watch out! ”.

the bounty hunter yelped and snapped back into her senses, throwing the weapon she still held in hand and watching it sweep through four of five androids at the same time. reducing them to scrapes and fillings. the girl exhaled uneasily and then ran to the others when danger seemed to reduce. 

“ what the hell happened?! ”, she cried and then spotted quinn wincing in the corner and gripping his waist. the girl’s eyes widened, throwing herself forward and rushed to the boy before grabbing a hold of him. “ f-fuck, you’re hurt. h-hey, look at me! t-that’s right, keep looking at me! ”.

quinn squinted at the girl and winced. hope frowned and looked at the others quickly whilst trying to keep quinn on his feet. “ he needs immediate help, we need to get out! ”, dom declared, shouting over the mayhem. 

“ but the puppeteer, we haven’t gotten him! ”.

“ quinn’s bleeding out! ”.

enzo seemed willing to keep going, dom was against it, vivienne just ran over to hope and quinn to attempt to help. “ it’s up to hope ”, the young woman said. oh, hope hated that. she hated calling the shots.

she was close to getting to the puppeteer. if they persevered, they would be able to find him in no time. but this place was a maze. they would get lost and quinn would bleed out by the time they got out of here. she was so close to killing the man she had come here for and yet . . .

was she really going to let a kid die for the price of bounty points?

firing a painful look at that boy, hope grimaced and then nodded. “ we’re leaving! get back to the car immediately. hang in there, quinn ”, she told the boy and with vivienne’s aid, she pulled him towards the door and towards the hatchet, the gravity would cushion his descent so not a lot of damage would be done. they needed to hurry back. 

enzo and dom stayed behind briefly to get rid of any more androids that just kept coming like an army of ants. insects seeping through openings and prying their hungry hands towards the humans they’d been ordered to kill.

by the time they were on the surface, quinn could barely stand. so hope did the thing she did best, being strong. she grunted and put the boy on her back, and as painful as it was with some of her own injuries, she fought through. because she wasn’t the one dying, it was him.

the car door opened and hope slid quinn through, sitting him down. “ w-we need to get him to dawn immediately, he needs to get patched u— enzo, dominic, hurry the fuck up! ”, hope screamed, seeing the two bolting towards them. she went inside the car herself and watched vivienne attempt to calm quinn down, he looked fit to throw up. and hope couldn’t blame him.

by the time the car was moving, hope’s breathing was erratic. but she had to stay calm, especially for quinn. the boy was grunting and wincing, hope saw the tears spilling down his now pallid face. he was losing too much blood. “ stay with us, kiddo ”, hope prayed, grabbing his bloodied hand and ignoring the disgusting smell and sensation of the red substance. breathing deeply. in and out. trying not to think of it.

because quinn needed support right now. and all of her past grudges towards the pirates were not relevant at this point. quinn had gotten injured because of her mission because he had come along. and the others could have been hurt as well. what happened? how did the boy get struck?

looking at his injury, through her lightheadedness, hope could see it was a stab wound. so he was stabbed. and it was a deep stab. and she just prayed to god that he hadn’t struck a vital organ.

as the car rushed, hope furrowed her brows into a grimace and squeezed her eyes closed, praying, wishing, hoping. demanding safety, demanding peace. and that this boy would keep breathing and living as soon as he heals.

once the meeting had come to an end, hope wandered out through the doors with a look of hysteria plastered onto a pale face. she had expected the whole experience to have been more subtle rather than something that was going to stun her out of her wits.

it had been like entering a dream sequence, perhaps the most jarring one yet. she’s never been into a meeting like, let along received news of a possible overthrow of a major corporation like voyage inc. it was ghastly. it wasn’t even a political party nor a part of a major government. it was a global company that manufactured the resources required for the human space colonization process.

but voyage had started off as scientists and engineers and mathematicians and ended up into lieutenants and generals and politicians. from an ambitious project into a major contribution to the evolution of humans. and now, there were signs of people showing hostility towards them.

potentially physical hostility, based on what she’d heard.

“ you okay, hope? ”.

the girl rose her head with furrowed brows and saw hina standing in front of her, expression worried and tender. “ y-yeah, of course. it’s just quite overwhelming. but i think it’ll all work out ”, she replied. even though she felt absolutely no confidence in her own words.

“ of course it will! all of this sucks, i know, but i don’t think it’ll get too serious. oh, hiro and i are going to get some food from the cafeteria ”, the other girl pointed in the direction of the boy who’d gone off to a vending machine to acquire something. “ they’re serving chicken katsu curry for lunch. ”

hope’s stomach churned. as hungry as she was after not having had a proper meal in a couple of days, she also felt too anxious to eat anything. and if something settled in her stomach, she wouldn’t be able to hold it there. not with how much her heart was racing at that moment.

the reason why she was particularly worried was because of the pirates. she had been at j-colony the same time as the act of vandalism against voyage was committed. and she recalled that she had passed out because of that bomb, she didn’t know how long she was out for but the pirates were out whilst she was unavailable.

doing potentially anything, getting up to no good.

perhaps it was just convenient that it had all happened at the same time. besides, the city was so large that it could have potentially been anyone. but her suspicions were still intact, especially since she knew the crew’s hatred towards this very corporation. the reason for it, she wasn’t aware of. 

“ uh, yeah, i’ll go ”.

the way to the cafeteria was long, but hope didn’t really take the time to notice it because she was so deep in thought. she almost walked face-first into so many people if hiro hadn’t pulled her back the last minute. he scolded her, inquiring her what the matter was but she didn’t reply at first.

if the meeting room had been large, the cafeteria was larger. it stretched on for a great length and walls covered only in glass allowed a great view of the outside world, well, moon. titan wasn’t particularly grand at that moment considering it was raining methane of all things. but the view was familiar and brought a sense of safety for the young bounty hunter.

tables scattered around, hope searched aimlessly for the pirates. surely they wouldn’t have gotten far, especially with how great this place was, unless if they truly wanted to risk putting themselves in danger. it was already dangerous, to begin with, being here. but they’d promised to behave so where were they?

“ are you looking for your people? ”, hiro asked and hope nodded slightly. “ well, if they’ve been here before, they couldn’t have gotten lost. but you said they’re newbies so you just have to pray you’ll find them. ”

hope did pray, mostly under her breath, and she wasn’t even religious. she just hoped the universe would gift her with a day of relief. or even a moment of relief, especially in this climate, especially when her suspicions were high and especially when she was carefully trying to avoid problems.

sighing, hope followed hiro and hina to where the food was being served. thank god she didn’t have to pay, that was the last thing she needed. so upon collecting her food, a plate of chicken katsu curry with sticky rice, not to mention a carton of juice and a mandarin to peel and enjoy, she walked to one of the tables and took a seat. hina sat right beside her.

“ so, tell me, what do you think? it’s a bit weird, isn’t it? for years, it seemed all so peaceful but now it’s gone to shit. it always does ”, hina began and saw hope’s resilience to talk. “ it just changes a lot of things. ”

hiro sighed, lifting up his spoon and gazing at it for a moment. “ i think it was inevitable. voyage has a lot of influence and there are just some people out there who refuse to accept it. it doesn’t help that voyage doesn’t tolerate rebellion ”, he said before shrugging softly.

“ tell me about it, these guys may pose themselves as angels as they’re helping with the colonization process. but they’re like a dictatorship, nobody can challenge them without getting bashed ”.

hope stared down at her food. it felt wrong to be sitting with two proper voyage workers, hiding the fact that she had brought pirates into headquarters, pirates who were potentially responsible for the vandalism at j-colony. she inhaled deeply and looked to the side.

her eyes widened slightly when she spotted a familiar trail of blonde hair and a voyage uniform. vivienne. standing up abruptly, hope called her, “ io! ”.

vivienne was no idiot, so she turned swiftly upon hearing her fake name being called. her face lit up with a small smile, and hope couldn’t help but feel guilty for earlier, for having snapped out for no basic necessity other than due to her explosive temper and defensive ego.

the blonde suddenly turned and called out to someone. soon, hope saw the pirates coming in. dawn’s face lit up after seeing the bounty hunter, whom she waved excitedly at before dragging the others over. 

“ oh, you’re cute! ”, hina commented when the young girl approached.

dawn’s cheeks appeared to glow pink at that point, “ t-thank you. i’m stella, by the way. ” the girl looked towards hope who didn’t seem willing to meet her gaze. “ is it okay if we sit with you guys? ”.

“ as long as you manage to stay quiet ”, hiro said, raising his glass of water to his lips before letting his gaze all on hope. “ care to introduce us, hope? ”.

gulping, the girl nodded. “ that’s stella. blondie is io, one with the bruise is leo, nerd is benjamin, and the other one’s roger. ”

hiro snorted, “ roger? ”. his gaze flew towards enzo who rose a brow as if posed with a challenge and hope wished that nothing argumentative would come out of these two meeting. usually, two confident people clash, and most of the time it’s not in a good way. 

“ yeah. you must be hiro ”, enzo said slowly, but then his gaze fell on hina and softened. “ and who’s this pretty lady? ”. hope swore she heard dom groan slightly in the back.

hina seemed to giggle and waved in greeting, “ hina koyabashi! it’s a pleasure to meet all of you. why don’t you all get some food? it’s really good today. ” hope didn’t understand how this girl was so pleasant, it was puzzling but she chose not to question something she probably won’t understand, hope isn’t a pleasant person.

“ oh, that’d be nice. but we’re planning on getting food elsewhere anyway, thank you for asking ”, vivienne said but still sat down beside hope, who was struggling to eat her food. “ so, how was the meeting? ”.

“ wonderful ”, hiro spoke, putting his glass of water down. “ we found out that there have been some acts of vandalism being committed against voyage at the j-colony. someone completely trashed the base there overnight and now they think a coup is being committed. ”

“ a what? ”, enzo questioned.

hope glared down at her plate, “ an uprising. ”

“ o-oh. ”

she felt the tension in the air almost immediately, hearing vivienne inhale deeply beside her but not a word came from the pirates, which was weird. and it only added to hope’s suspicions, but she didn’t show any reaction to indicate that. she simply let hiro continue to explain.

“ but now we’re on high alert. they’re investigating nearly every colony in search of any criminal activities targetting institutions. stuff on earth is completely messed up, some people are being put on leave to ensure their safety ”, he stated.

hope hadn’t heard about that. feeling her stomach churn once more, she simply stabbed her straw through the hole on her juice carton and inhaled deeply. her father was most likely not going to get his arm nor his treatment, he was going to be put off work completely.

how long was her old man going to have to wait to get the treatment he deserved immediately? she needed to visit him. but she just felt like something was going to get in the way, and she needed to prevent them. she’s been avoiding going back home in fear that she’ll get attached and not be able to go back to work. but now she wanted to see her family.

“ that’s . . . a shame ”, dom uttered and then sighed. “ well, voyage has angered many people, i can see why some people have revolted. not that i agree with it but it makes sense. ”

hina snapped her fingers and pointed, “ see? he gets it! i’m not the only one who thinks this company can be bat shit insane sometimes. hope, you recruited some very smart people. ” hope didn’t react at first, she just gave a halfassed chuckle and tried to eat.

hiro’s gaze remained on hope for a long time, she felt it but she didn’t think to question him about it. she could already imagine the thoughts rolling through his brain, the questions and the assumptions on how hope came to find these people and she didn’t have the brainpower to make up a credible story.

“ how’d you find ‘em, hope? ”.

“ hm? ”.

before hiro could repeat himself, vivienne swept in, now the ball was in her court. “ we were always looking to join something like voyage. thankfully, hope gave us the opportunity and signed us in. we’re newbies thanks to her. ”

“ oh, that’s so nice! but it seems like you guys already ran into some trouble ”, the girl beside hope stated. hina glanced over at dom and tilted her head. “ is that why leo has a bruise? ”.

now hope like she was going to throw up. she gulped and tried not to bring attention to herself whilst also avoiding dom’s gaze. she was bad at many things but knowing when someone is looking at you is something she’s mastered.

“ we ran into some trouble with pirates ”, dom said slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. “ i’m not the best fighter so i got hit. but we also jacked the guy up afterward so it’s all fair and square. ” hope felt like she was being threatened, she couldn’t look up, nor even think about having her food.

hiro scoffed, “ pirates? well, that just proves yoh’s theory. it’s just criminals on loose sturring up a fuss because they can’t see that they’re in the wrong. ” hope really wished he would stop talking now.

“ you don’t know that ”, enzo said with a rising tone. biting back a wince, hope adjusted herself in her chair. her gaze fell on quinn who was already looking back at her. he didn’t need to say much but his eyes held a sweetness in them that she’s never noticed before, a caring undertone to a usually grim expression.

“ oh, come on, some of these criminals on the loose turn into criminals because they think voyage is against ‘em or something. as far as i’m aware, voyage has only ever attacked anyone because they attacked first ”, hiro continued but then pursed his lips and shrugged smugly. “ that’s just my theory. ”

“ hope, you okay? ”.

the attention suddenly shifting onto her stunned her. she blinked slightly and reeled back in shock before sighing, and then offering them all a nod. “ y-yeah, absolutely. i just don’t feel like eating anymore ”, she said.

vivienne’s hand met her shoulder once more and this time hope didn’t shrug it away. “ we should probably get you back to the ship ”, she decided whilst rubbing her back slightly. 

“ oh, you’re leaving so soon? ”, hina said in a tone of sadness, pouting but she nodded and gave the group a smile. “ well, i suppose there’s no reason to stick around. hope, it was lovely meeting you. ”

whilst getting up from her seat, hope saw hina offering a handshake and ultimately accepted, giving a firm one of her own. her gaze went over towards hiro and he just nodded and waved her off. cold, as per usual.

hope then followed lazily behind the crew, who seemed more adamant about getting to the ship than she was. but she could almost understand why. they were in a dangerous environment that could potentially end in an altercation that would reveal their identities.

she couldn’t help but throw a gaze over her shoulder, seeing hina wave happily at her and hiro glance back with no interest. still, she reached into her pocket and felt the squishy toy he’d given her, and carried on walking.

after going through the exits and slipping their oxygen helmets on, they traveled back to the ship. hope didn’t even get to say goodbye to creed nor to esme, but she would end up coming back at some point to enjoy it. well, to enjoy the company of the people in the corporation. people whom she didn’t mind being around.

when the stairs for nebula opened, hope stopped and took one quick glance back at the headquarters. the experience here wasn’t the best, but what was she expecting? in a way, she disagreed with hiro’s statement, and now, she could moderately understand the trepidation and hesitation the pirates showed to coming within a range of anyone belonging to voyage.

it was just all bad news. bad news and the strive for perfection.

“ well, thank god that’s over! ”, enzo declared, giving out a loud sigh whilst proceeding to remove all of the garments, especially the badges and the gloves. with quite a lot of distaste, might she add? “ also, hope, i can see why you dislike that guy so much. ”

they had entered the lounge once more and enzo had collapsed onto the couch alongside quinn, a small frown on his face. “ like, is he always that much of a douche? ”, he questioned, arms crossed behind his head.

“ you didn’t even speak to him properly ”, quinn mumbled.

enzo rose up slightly onto his seat and pointed a figure in some general direction, supposedly where hiro was. “ you’re kidding, right? that guy gives off bad villain vibes, you could feel it from a mile away ”, enzo argued.

“ hiro . . . is a complex individual ”, hope cut in, gaining enzo’s attention once more. “ we used to train together, share the same room. he was always competitive, always trying to be the pillar of perfection but what i admire most about him, despite hating his guts, is how precise and watchful he is. ” she took a small pause and took out the animal squishy toy once more. “ he sees, remembers, and acts. ”

dawn gasped and cooed, “ that’s so cute! ”.

“ yeah ”, hope agreed with a small chuckle, raising her brows slightly. “ he gave it to me. he knows i’m not fond of packed environments. the noise usually causes some awful sensations, as they did today, but he kept me from having a total breakdown. ” playing with the toy for a little longer, she soon tucked it back into her pocket. 

quinn hummed before elbowing enzo gently, “ he’s not a villain, cap, he’s just moody. just how you’re not a villain, but you are an arrogant prick. ”

vivienne burst into laughter and hope snorted, averting her gaze away as to avoid being seen smiling so plainly. she had to admit, as much as she wasn’t accustomed to being around so many people, she could get behind the idea of being humored frequently. they provided free humor, so she might as well enjoy it.

hope’s eyes trailed up towards dom whilst quinn and enzo bickered. he seemed to be in a better mood than she’s seen him, but then again, she doesn’t exactly pay much attention to him. but the bruise was obvious now and it was started to grind her gears. she was mad at herself.

yes, he might have deserved it but hope felt like she could have easily stepped back and come out of her fit of blind rage because some guy said something she didn’t like. she’s heard so many things, was spat so many insults at yet he was the one who managed to push her to her limit. and she didn’t even know him!

a stranger doesn’t deserve to make you angry, she reminded herself. but then again, neither do they deserve a punch for making you angry. hope stared for just a little longer and when his head moved as if to look at her, she looked back down.

after a couple of hours, nebula had left titan and they were in outer space once again. hope had chosen to eat her food alone, and she could hear the laughter and chatter from the dining room even from the lounge. it wasn’t disrupting her as much as she’d imagined.

the bounty hunter had changed into some decent clothes, being a t-shirt and some sweatpants because as far as she was aware, she wasn’t going to move from a slow orbit any time soon. she wanted to relax, especially after having such a shaky day.

dawn and vivienne had prepared some nice carbonara pasta with the ingredients hope had in her fridge, and she hated to admit it but it was just like her mother’s back hope. if not better. 

but she had long lost the taste of her mother’s food since she left, and after that, it was mostly microwaved food, she barely had the energy to prepare something fresh. but she could burn the carbs off afterward, even if it hurt every bone in her body.

whilst eating, she was flipping through her stats again since she didn’t get to check them. after having gained some bounty points, her level had risen to sixty-seven, especially considering crimson had been a particularly hard person to catch and considering he was in the top ten most sought after criminals, the reward for his death was high.

hope sighed. rising five levels after one kill felt like a relief, especially considering she would end up on some of the league tables. she didn’t know exactly where she was placed in the board of bounty hunters but she could have been in the top twenty. the recognition is often quite the self-esteem boost.

but even after killing him, she couldn’t help but remain worried. she shouldn’t have brought the pirates to voyage and when the news in the meeting was revealed, she felt sick. in fear that because she slept, she missed the chance of seeing the pirates up to no good. then again, nothing could prove they had anything to do with the incident.

but it was a probability.

and she still had to take these guys to pluto and that’s an easy portal ride away but why was she so hesitant? she wanted to get rid of the problem rather than keep it around but she didn’t want to let them go until she had the answers she required.

thankfully, she wasn’t going to have to wait for long. she felt like dinner had finished when the doors of the lounge opened and she heard some voices filter in and then pause when they seemed to detect her. 

“ hope, have you finished eating? ”.

“ it wasn’t you guys, was it? ”.

hope turned and looked over her shoulder towards the two figures belonging to dawn and dom, who both looked puzzled. and then enzo came in, followed by vivienne and quinn.

she frowned, “ i want to believe that it wasn’t. for some reason, i’m showing the leniency to trust you even though i probably shouldn’t. but if it was you guys who were responsible for the vandalism against voyage, i have to know. and then i’ll make the decision.” hope paused and gulped. “ the last thing i want is to have to remove my trust from the table. ”

“ n-no, of course not ”, enzo began, sounding nervous. “ oh god, no, i know weren’t there when you were passed out but we didn’t go to vandalize anything. we already have targets on our backs, the last thing we want is to cause more mayhem. besides, our feelings towards voyage are sour but they’re not toxic. ”

vivienne interrupted, “ and we don’t even have the funds to buy the resources required considering most of our money got blown up with our ship. all we have is dom’s bank account to save us. we wouldn’t waste money on spray paint and bombs. ”

hope nodded slightly and then looked down. at her trembling hands, she noticed her middle and index finger had crossed and locked together. she didn’t know just how much she believed them but hearing it from them was better than assuming they’d truly done it.

“ don’t tell me you don’t believe us ”, dom began.

hope snapped back quickly, “ i do. ” blinking, she took a moment to gather herself and her thoughts. “ i do believe you. i want to believe you because, i think that i gave you too many chances and if you spoil it this time, i won’t be able to handle it. ”

“ handle what? you can take us to where we have to be now that all of that is over ”, dom persisted, nodding towards some random direction. “ you can take us to pluto, can’t you? ”.

“ y-yes, bu— ”.

“ well, why don’t you take us th— ”.

“ hope, i’ve detected a new addition to your bounty list. ”

a.j saved her once again. the bounty hunter ran a hand through her hair, sighing with frustration. usually, she would go up to her cabin to hear about the details but she didn’t mind sharing them in front of the pirates. it wasn’t like she was going to ask them to go along with it. not after what happened last time.

“ proceed, a.j. ”

“ real name unknown, but the alias voyage has given them is the puppeteer. voyage has signed them as a technological terrorist, as they have been responsible for many government-targeted financial and cyber attacks. it’s said that perhaps they’re looking for money. but others have stated it’s pure psychopathy. they’re on top of the bounty list when it comes to hackers ”.

hope’s eyes widened but she didn’t react as quickly as enzo did after he let out a small exhale, “ the puppeteer? ”.

“ it’s a stupid name ”, dom commented with a snort.

“ no, shut up, i know who they are ”, enzo growled and crossed his arms, hope acknowledged the dense muscles for a moment and then shyly gazed away. “ the puppeteer, you mean the one who was behind the 3017 financial wipe that stole over a hundred billion dollars from global banks? ”.

a.j replied swiftly, “ that is correct. ”

why was he acting like this? hope furrowed her brows slightly whilst staring at enzo, who seemed to be trying to collect his thoughts. “ holy shit ”, he muttered under his breath.

“ enzo, are you al— ”.

“ we’re helping. ”

hope reacted with a scoff, “ are you out of your mind? the last time you tried to help me catch a criminal, you nearly killed me and let him escape! ”. 

“ this is different ”, enzo replied. “ the puppeteer is a force to be reckoned with, they have the capacity of putting an entire country through a blackout that could potentially end with millions of lives lost. they’re a financial thief and have been behind many terrorist attacks committed against innocent people. in concerts and in reunions and meetings. ” he looked towards hope with determined eyes. “ you need to let us help ”.

“ i don’t feel like i owe you that leisure ”, hope said through gritted teeth. “ if this son of a bitch ends up being dangerous, i don’t want anyone dying and me getting the blame for it. ”

dom rolled his eyes, “ you think we’re that incapable of fighting? ”.

“ i mean you nearly let crimson get away through that smoke even though you knew how to handle yourselves ”, the bounty hunter snapped and forced herself to calm down, to lower her tone. “ i’m not letting anyone help. i can handle it myself. ”

“ consider it as part of the bargain, hope ”, enzo insisted, god he was so persistent, it made her blood boil! 

“ dying isn’t part of it. and that’s final. ”

“ fine, we’ll just devise a plan without you in it but we’re going to somehow help, we are. don’t underestimate us ”, enzo said and turned to walk away. and the pirates followed, some reluctantly but hope called out just before the doors could close. 

“ fine! ”.

they turned and looked at her with equal expressions of shock. hope couldn’t believe that, yet again, she was going to let herself be put in danger because of these pirates, that she was going to try to work alongside them as if they were a team. this was supposed to be her mission, her well-earned reward. she didn’t want to share it with anyone, call her selfish if you want but she’s been doing fine for four years by herself. without pirates mingling with her business.

and yet here she was. 

risking it all over again.

returning to a place that you previously promised never to return to can be one of the most difficult experiences of one’s life, notably for someone like hope.

voyage had changed the last time she was here. it looked as if a lot of funds had gone into fabricating a new interior design for the place. and they actually made use of the twenty stories that this place had, with each level housing a different department, some of which hope has never even heard of.

now, as much as she preferred to be anywhere, excited dawn proposed the idea of looking around before the meeting. hope was all against it, walking around surely meant that she might run into someone she was purposefully trying to avoid. that person, of course, being hiro.

the meeting room had been moved to the fifth floor, but she didn’t choose to take the elevator anytime soon. dawn was gawking and pointing towards everything and it seemed like a lot of effort was required from quinn to keep the girl from running off.

“ hope, why are you walking so fast? ”.

soon, she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and recognized it to belong to vivienne. the bounty hunter turned and looked at the blonde girl, before shrugging. “ they say the unhappiest of people walk the fastest ”, hope uttered, looking down at her gloved hands and adjusted the cuffs of her uniform.

“ are you unhappy? ”, vivienne quickly claimed. with a tone of utmost interest or care, hope couldn’t exactly tell the difference.

“ have you met me? ”.

“ yes but, not properly ”, was the answer hope was given, which took her by surprise for a moment. she reeled her head back slightly and blinked, before furrowing her brows. “ this personality you give off, i don’t think that’s really you. ”

hope snapped back, “ it is me. you’d just like it to be someone else. and you know what, you’re not the first to wish that. ”

hope has had her few experiences with people who seem to have something against the way she acts. she’ll admit that her temper is unbearable at times and her need to insult others are more like a reflex action than something intentional. but it was how she grew up to be. there weren’t any parental issues growing up. she lived in a loving family, who cared for her and one she adores to this day.

but perhaps what causes this coldness and hostility towards people is her need for freedom and the hatred towards conforming to a standard that she wasn’t fond of. and besides, being like this made it easy to push people away. particularly people who made her life impossible to live.

she wasn’t planning on making friends with anyone any time soon. she wasn’t planning on letting her outer shells melt. she was perfectly fine living in the igloo that was her ego.

possibly the reason she shut everyone out was that they felt like they could dictate to her, as if she was easily influenced to be a sweet, docile person so people can step on her and humiliate her as they pleased.

and she wasn’t going to let that happen. she’s seen what being stepped on can do to a person and she doesn’t want that for herself. so she would much rather encase herself within the walls of nebula and go about her space adventurer way with no distractions, no dictators disguised as friends or morally good figures.

so hope shrugged vivienne’s hand off her shoulder. “ if you think i’m walking too quickly, might i suggest speeding up ”, she spat and continued to walk. at that moment, she wished that she could find creed or be near someone she recognized, she hated being around strangers, hated it.

to be fair, after having that altercation, she preferred to be away from them. she couldn’t afford to get angry in this space, because there were cameras everywhere. and if she so dared to show any aggression, guards would be approaching asking what the problem was.

so she put as much space between her and the pirates as she could. and whilst she was in the headquarters, she thought she could do something she’s been meaning to do for a while. scattered around, there are these tall, rectangle like structures posed as small billboards but they can also be access panels.

going up to one, hope removed her glove and pressed her aching hands onto the glowing screen and saw the blue fade to lilac in an instant. a small dialing pad emerged and she typed her pin in.

these services allowed workers to check their stats. usually, she could do this on her own ship but she’s been continuously distracted for the last couple of days and was unable to do anything.

once the screen had loaded, hope’s profile came up. her picture was on the left-hand-side and upon pressing a cog icon, a tab emerged containing all of her details. but gazing over her birthdate and her hometown, she sought out her bounty points. and her jaw dropped.

“ suck on that, hiro, you motherfucker. ”

“ who are you talking to, hope? ”.

and then her heart dropped.

the girl spun around and found herself face-to-face with the very boy she had just insulted. the boy she had been trying to avoid, the boy who did nothing but annoy her and get under her skin with almost anything he did or said. she’s never met someone who has quite the effect that hiro has on her.

the last time she saw him was roughly two years ago, and since then, he’d changed, grown taller and dyed his hair blue and his skin appeared clear and his dimples were still as deep as ever. but it wasn’t as if he smiled to show them all that much. the eyebrows he frowns all the time looked rather nice, too, except she noticed a piercing. which was unusual.

she hated to admit it but it seemed like he’d gotten handsome. and she hated to admit it considering she wasn’t one to talk about people’s looks at all.

hiro crossed his dense arms over his chest. he was wearing the voyage uniform, except seemingly avoided the long coat and chose the semi-formal one with the high collar. the pilot uniform. hope couldn’t believe that he had continued flying despite always having complained about it for years.

he most likely did it because she was doing it as well.

“ hiro ”, the bounty hunter began and let her gaze travel from his head to his toes before she met his eyes once more. “ you haven’t changed a bit. the fuck is up with the piercing? ”.

“ it wasn’t my idea ”, he replied quickly, rising the very eyebrow he had the piercing on. it complemented his asshole of a personality and made him look like even more a douche.

hope found it weird that he did something that wasn’t from his own free will, “ i didn’t take you for the type of person to listen to others for ideas. ” hiro scoffed and rolled his eyes. “ who’s was it? it had to be your own, you’re egotistical enough to think it’ll look good. ”

“ it wasn’t my id— ”.

“ it was mine. ”

who?

hope looked behind hiro and spotted the figure the female voice had come from. it was a young woman perhaps around the same age as hope, but she got the impression that she could’ve been older based off of the red lipstick imprinting pretty lips. she also wore the voyage pilot uniform that hugged her form quite well, she had a nice figure, slim and healthy with curly, brown locks running down her back.

hope stared for a moment and blinked when the girl then approached her and stood beside hiro, rather proximate. yet that’s when it fell on hope that perhaps this was the companion that creed had told her about.

the girl seemed to take notice that neither hope nor hiro was going to make an attempt at introductions so she quickly stepped forward with a pretty smile, “ i-i’m hina koyabashi. i’m hiro’s flight companion. you must be hope, right? i’ve heard quite a lot about you! ”.

“ by that, i’m assuming it was bad things. ”

hina laughed fairly airly, “ i-i’ll admit, most of it was complaining. but he does talk about you a lot and mostly about when you were both training at voyage together. is it true that you were roommates? ”.

hope rolled her eyes quickly, but not before chuckling slightly. “ yes, we were. i feel your pain to some degree, having to share a space with an arrogant prick ”, she spoke, glaring daggers at the boy.

hiro glared back, “ as far as i’m aware, you didn’t complain too much that time. now you’ve really developed a pirate’s mouth. bounty hunting’s been messing with your incredible lexicon, hasn’t it, hope? ”.

“ you know what, ishikawa— ”.

“ now, now! ”, hina interrupted and hope was glad for a moment. as a matter of fact, she couldn’t understand how a person like hiro managed to get lucky with a companion who was both pretty and somehow peaceful. hope wondered just how many times this girl has kept hiro from getting into trouble, whether it be from his reckless actions or dirty mouth. “ the meeting’s going to start soon. shouldn’t we start going? ”.

hiro seemed willing, mostly because he knew that if he stayed there any longer, hope would start bad-mouthing him. “ please, i can’t stand the smell of this perfume ”, he said and mimicked a gag and hope really wanted to punch him.

“ it’s dior! ”, she snapped.

“ i figured ”, hiro stated with a sigh and started to follow hina but then paused and turned back to hope. “ by the way, who are those idiots? they’re really loud. ” he pointed his thumb over his shoulder and upon peeking, hope recognized enzo seemingly ranting to vivienne but he was so loud, it was unendurable.

hope sighed, “ they’re people i recruited. ”

“ you recruit people no— ”.

“  —yes, i do. fuck off, hiro. ”

he stuck his tongue out at her and she managed to spot a tongue piercing and watched him walk off. jesus, he’d changed. he most certainly looked good but his personality was just as spoiled, perhaps even more.

for years, hope always thought that hiro had a personal grudge against her for some reason. whether it be that she tended to score a little higher than him on the ranks or maybe because she was often favored by creed whilst he treated the others strictly during their time training.

but even if their years in training were long gone, hiro wasn’t fond of the idea of discussing whatever feelings were between them. it was a huge distaste but she never found the origin of it. and quite frankly, if he didn’t want to talk about it, that was fine by her. but if he was going to be an asshole, she would return the treatment!

“ was that hiro? ”, quinn’s voice came from beside her and hope rose a brow and nodded. enzo really couldn’t keep his thoughts to himself, he always had to share them. was gossiping his only talent or something? “ he looks intimidating. ”

“ he’s a childish prick. doesn’t like being even second place and has a personal grudge against me that i will never understand the reason for ”, hope explained. to quinn, she didn’t mind opening up to. and besides, if they saw hiro around some more, she was going to have to tell him about it in case she starts arguing with the blue-haired boy.

quinn hummed, hands behind his back. he was pretty much the most obedient person in that crew but hope didn’t particularly like how quiet he was. as far as she was aware, this guy couldn’t stand her so she wasn’t going to present a friendly persona if the treatment wasn’t going to be returned. universal kindness her ass!

“ but, uh, we’ll be out of here before i can even think about strangling him to death, as nice as that would be ”, said hope once more and shook her head. moving her gaze towards her wristband, she hummed. “ we should start going. ”

quinn spoke briefly, “ the thing is, enzo opted to step out of this meeting thing. it isn’t really for us and we might hear something we won’t like. s-so vivi is choosing to keep enzo out in case he gets angry and starts breaking things. ”

“ you don’t even know if the meeting is about pirates ”, hope said somewhat skeptically. quinn looked down, not replying to her comment. “ but . . . alright, then. as long as you stick to your identities and stay out of trouble, i don’t see why it’ll be a problem. ”

“ we’ll be by the cafeteria, so . . . good luck with the meeting. ”

watching him leave, hope didn’t start moving until the crew had walked off, dawn even turned and gave hope an excited wave and mouthed good luck. in the corner of hope’s eyes, she saw dom turn his head and then saw the bruise, it was purple.

gulping down the guilt, she turned to the stats still on the screen and then logged out of the system, before rushing to get to the meeting.

the headquarters were a maze to the mind of a person who was confused in so many ways. her mind still lingered on the bruise she’d seen on dom’s cheek and how on earth she was going to handle being in the same room as him knowing she’d brought him an injury like that. sometimes, hope really hates her temper. but a part of her told dom deserved it. another part told her she was a true bitch for doing what she did.

taking an elevator down to the fifth floor, hope’s gaze wandered for a while until the doors slid open. stepping out, she found herself in an almost vacant hallway, finding that instead of seeing that circular opening like on the floor she was just on, the walls were closed and long. she wondered just how long it would take to get to this meeting room.

if she could get there at all. creed hadn’t exactly told her where it was and hope didn’t like accessing the system’s mapping system because it often confused her more. and with the lack of people in the hallway, she found that she was going to have to wander until she finds her location.

however long that might take.

hope couldn’t help but whimper under her breath and rub her eyes, she hated the feeling of cluelessness. it often causes an immense panic, especially as someone who often plans ahead, who has everything under control. why did she not follow hiro and hina when she had the chance or asked creed where the meeting room was?

she truly was an idiot sometimes.

“ are you lost? ”.

what does it look like, hope wanted to snap back but the voice was too docile and formal for her to reply in that way. her eyes traveled to the origin of the said voice and widened upon recognizing this person.

this beautiful person. long, dark hair and kind eyes, high cheekbones and a slim figure hidden under a smart voyage agent jacket. hope couldn’t help but notice the pearl earrings she wore and the prettiest necklace resting against her collarbone.

do not panic, hope, but this might be esme lau. unable to reply for a moment, esme offered her a smile, kind and tender before beckoning her over. “ you’re here for the meeting, aren’t you? ”, her voice was perhaps the smoothest one hope has heard, coated in an indescribable sweetness but authority, hope couldn’t explain it without calling her a disney princess. “ i am as well. we can go together. ”

hope gulped and nodded, before letting her head drop into a mild bow. “ t-thank you, miss ”, she exclaimed. she doesn’t recall the last time she’s gotten so flustered over someone but esme lau was kind of a big deal at voyage inc. she rose her head and proceeded to follow her, esme seemed to be in no rush.

“ you can’t come to these meetings too early ”, the woman spoke, as if reading the bounty hunter’s thoughts. “ usually the ones doing the whole thing, the speakers, they don’t even show up on time. usually, they’re ten minutes late. so you might as well take your time, too. ”

hope bit her lip, “ even if the meeting is important? ”.

“ even if it’s important ”, esme repeated and chuckled, her thin arms hugging her pretty figure. “ but anyways, i don’t recall seeing you around. sure, i don’t come out of the office that often but i haven’t seen you. are you new? ”.

it’s a rare thing for esme lau to take an interest in anyone. it’s rarer to see her out of her work and to see her in public. so hope really didn’t want to mess up her chance in talking to the woman. “ i-i’m, i’m not an official voyage member. i had a mild contract. i’m a bounty hunter, my name’s hope ”, the girl explained.

esme’s brow rose. “ bounty hunter? wow, they really called everyone for the meeting ”, she mumbled but then gave hope a charming smile. “ but that’s a delightful name. it’s good to meet you. thank you for cleaning the galaxy for us. the kids on loose these days are crazy. ”

“ tell me about it. ”

“ pardon? ”.

hope quickly caught herself, “ i was hunting someone down just a couple of days ago. uh, you might have heard of him. crimson. he was responsible for the 3019 m-colony blackouts that killed a couple hundred people. well, he was quite crazy. set up toxic bombs as a trap and i fell right into it. ”

“ oh, you poor girl ”, esme gasped, and hope tried not to scream at the gentle hand against her shoulder. “ i hope you weren’t too badly hurt. but that’s exactly what i mean with the crazy theory. power and adrenaline can really get to your head. ” her concerned expression softened. “ but you’re doing god’s work, getting rid of people like that. sure, through barbaric means but there comes a point where jail isn’t enough. ”

“ y-yes, i agree. ”

esme’s hand fell to her side again and hope couldn’t help but notice a rather pretty ring she wore. it seemed to be emeralds, but they had such a unique cut . . . she loved it, though, it was charming and it suited esme. then again anything suited esme.

their walk to the meeting room wasn’t exactly too long. perhaps two or three minutes later, hope’s gaze fell on a double door. one which esme had to open with a pin of some sort. when the doors slid open, hope gasped.

the meeting room was perhaps the largest one she’d seen yet. it was like a lecture room in the universities back home, but it was circular all the way and the stage remained down at the bottom, in the center of the room. it wasn’t exactly too full but it was enough to make hope’s breath to hitch.

esme took note of that. “ the seats aren’t exactly assigned, so you could sit beside me. unless if you have friends here ”, she offered. hope’s heart ached, she was unbelievably kind. esme’s head tilted curiously, waiting for hope’s response.

brown eyes searching, hope caught sight of hina. it wasn’t that hard to spot such a pretty girl in a crowd of plain-looking individuals, and hiro was beside her. so at least she would be dividing hope from jumping on his throat.

but the thought of sitting alongside a loved public figure and get to experience her work up close, it made her nervous but eager. besides, esme was sweet and wouldn’t annoy her like hiro.

mingling with her, though, would look quite uncanny, especially as hope was nowhere as great as esme lau. “ i-i see my friends over there. but thank you for offering, miss lau ”, hope quickly replied.

esme tutted and elbowed the girl on the arm gently, in a very friendly manner that hope wanted to gush over. “ quit being so formal. just call me esme ”, the woman stated but then beamed and nodded. “ but i suppose i’ll see you around. thank you for the lovely talk and walk, hope. ”

hope found herself watching her walking away. her strut was so graceful and she held her head up so confidently but not enough to make her look snobbish. rather, she looked like the most humble person on the surface of the galaxy.

upon drooling over esme for a little longer, hope then took off to take her seat beside hina. before she could even sit down, hina began with the questions. “ were you just talking to the esme lau? ”, she asked hope, eyes wide enough to pop from her sockets.

“ uhm, i ran into her at the hallway. she was nice ”, hope replied.

hina whined, “ i would sell my kidney to meet esme. she’s so perfect. she’s got an iq of two hundred, imagine that! and she’s pretty and kind as well, it’s almost superficial but i can’t imagine her even being mean. ” the girl rested her hand against her cheek and sighed lovingly whilst looking towards the said woman. “ you think she’s married? ”.

“ if she isn’t, she isn’t going to want a ring from you ”, hiro replied swiftly. hina pouted and leaned back onto her seat. hope then paid her own glance towards esme and found her sitting not too far from them, near to the bottom room and she sat among some important looking people, though she stood out the most, possibly because of her visuals or the fact that she was the most relevant person there.

looking away, hope’s eyes went to the different people sat around them. most wore the voyage uniforms, no matter what brand it was. the majority were chattering among themselves, it was like a school assembly with an exciting buzz in the air.

she couldn’t help but let out a small exhale, it trembled for a moment and she regretted not sticking beside esme. because her soothing nature calmed hope’s nerves even if it was a mere smile she gave the girl. now sat among a sea of people, strangers, her fingers started twitching.

beside her, she heard hiro and hina’s voices but she couldn’t exactly make it out. the cacophony of noise engulfed her for a moment, and it was as if her attention was shifting everywhere, at times at the people, sometimes at the stage or down at her lap.

but it seemed like the sound ceased. at some point, she felt something against her ears and looking it up, hope was startled enough to find hiro’s hands shielding her ears. her eyes widened for a moment and she moved to remove them but he smacked her hand away.

“ what are you doing? ”, she hissed. she noticed he’d moved over and switched places with hina, who was curiously looking over with concern.

hiro glared, “ making sure you don’t faint in the middle of a meeting. you’re gonna have to focus, hope. this is important. ” but he didn’t even remove his hands until hope’s hands stopped trembling and when her heart had stopped racing like she was running a marathon.

he saw her facial features soften and then nodded, slowly removing his hands from her and settling back down onto his seat. hope felt embarrassed to save the least. hiro was one of the few people who knew about her nervous antics in crowds when she wasn’t distracted by something else.

at j-colony, she managed to keep calm because of the music and because she was on a mission. here, she was floating in a sea of voices and they weren’t comfortable to listen to. it was loud and messy and not like her music.

frowning slightly, hope simply crossed her arms and tried to relax. but it didn’t work so easily until hiro moved a bit closer and put something in her hand. she opened her hand and found it to be one of those adorable squishy animal stickers with fat belies that you could press and squish and play with. hiro somehow had the cat with the pinkish ears.

“ why do you have th— ”.

“ don’t ask ”, hiro said over her and then paused before clearing his throat. “ it’s my sister’s. i visited her last week and she told me to keep it. ”

“ does it have a name? ”, hope questioned softly.

hiro snorted slightly and looked ahead, “ you can give it one. ”

looking at the squishy toy, hope pressed her thumb against its belly and rubbed it playfully. it was perhaps the best feeling in the world, and the toy was just adorable, she could easily get distracted with it.

“ he looks like a . . . wilson. ”

“ jesus christ, never have children if that’s what you’re going to name him ”, hiro commented with slight alarm, and adjusted himself in his seat before peering down at the toy. “ he looks like a . . . uh— ”.

“  —like a hiro. hiro jr. ”

hiro met her gaze for a moment and rolled his eyes, but hope spotted a slight smile against his lips. “ fine. that’s not too bad ”, he commented. hope sighed and squished the toy again before feeling like the lights had dimmed. her heart sunk but settled at a normal rhythm within some moments.

looking about for a moment, hope noticed that the meeting room had grown increasingly full. to think that most of them were other voyage members. she forgot just how big this corporation was. so after the lights dimmed, a spotlight hit the center stage.

hope was expecting a public figure, perhaps a general or a lieutenant like creed to step on and take over the mic, but her eyes widened when a woman did. and the chatter around her grew tenfold when the lights fell in beatrice yoh, in all her terrifying splendor.

in a white suit, she looked somewhat angelic, but her eyes were hard and her gaze went over the crowd that soon grew quiet. hope found herself gripping the toy a little harder.

“ welcome ”, yoh’s booming voice echoed. hope inhaled deeply. “ i appreciate all of you coming here on such short notice. i am aware that it is a lot to ask many of you to stop your lives and come here. but what i’m about to announce will impact all of us. ”

hope rose a brow when yoh suddenly paused and then stood with her shoulders broad. “ it’s come to our attention, with the increased crime rates around the colonies, that a rising activity has been created. and that we might be looking into a coup d’etat “.

“ holy fuck ”, hope heard hiro mutter beside her. her own brows were furrowed in confusion as the chatter and mumbles around her grew once more. an announcement like this was alarming. she found it weird, for a moment, that yoh mentioned crime rates were increasing . . . she thought that with the number of bounty hunters and officers growing, crime rates were decreasing.

but the woman continued, “ a week ago, it seemed like a particularly pesky group managed to find their way into our base on earth and decorated the place with vandalism after breaking through our security system. they left various symbols on the walls. ” yoh paused. “ and the same thing was just repeated at j-colony two days ago. ”

hope felt like she was going to faint. she had just been at j-colony and to think that she was there possibly when this had occurred. but surely they would have called her in, knowing she was there, knowing she could help, how did nobody tell? how did creed not tell her?

“ whatever the reason for these acts, we’re taking it as a sign of rebellion. or some criminal group trying to attack our ways of living ”, the chairwoman said and looked out into the crowd. hope frowned and gulped slightly, and her thoughts couldn’t help but wander to the pirates.

who were sat outside, waiting for her to return.

pirates she had helped enter the base. giving them false identities. knowing they had bounties on their heads. knowing voyage was probably hunting them.

“ hope, wake up. ”

a vibration played at her wrist. how long she’s been passed out like that, she wasn’t too certain. because after absolutely exploding at the pirates, she found herself lost in her thoughts. what she could recall was heading down to the gym to blow off some steam, and returning to her room before absolutely collapsing.

in the midst of her sleep, she had a dream. it played off as a casual one, with her walking the streets of her home town, walking her pet dog down the sidewalk and waving at familiar neighbors sho seemed to be enjoying a day out in the sun. she recalled feeling safe in this dream, like things had fallen into place and that nothing could harm her.

but upon taking a corner to where she knew would lead to her house, she found herself feeling anxious. even in her dream, she could feel her heart sinking as her eyes traveled towards a figure standing not too far from her. it was a figure she couldn’t exactly recognize, but it was pale. pale and twitching and for some reason, hope felt the need to turn and run the other way.

even in her dream, she could tell this thing was going to spring up and start chasing her.

but before it got the chance, a.j’s voice saved her. hope gasped herself awake and immediately patted around, feeling soft bedsheets and her soft pillow and the view from the window still being the docks of the j-colony.

gulping, hope rubbed her eyes and looked at her wrist. her stopwatch had gone off as she realized that hours ago, she had put on a timer for how long she was supposed to sleep. because her head was still aching from the toxicity in her body. but after sweating some tense feelings in the gym, she found herself feeling somewhat refreshed.

but also exhausted. and horrified. 

whatever that dream was, she prayed to whatever potent deity out there that she never has to have it again. and she was too tired to think about talking to a freudian psychoanalyst. and besides, she couldn’t think about relaxing just yet because she had things to do.

except, for a second, hope forgot she had killed the man on top of her bounty list. she paused and shook her head. “ there’s something wrong with me ”, she muttered to herself, pressing her hands against her cheeks after slapping them lightly. “ a.j, why’d you wake me up? ”.

“ i sensed an increase in your heart-rate whilst you were entering rem sleep and became worried that with the toxicity in your blood, you might end up suffering a stroke or a heart attack ”, a.j described. hope couldn’t help but chortle, closing her eyes. a.j had the tendency to explain things with that same cerebral tone with no awareness of the weight his words carry.

“ you should’ve let me die, then. ”

“ hope. ”

realizing the unneeded self-deprecation, hope shook her head once more. “ sorry, a.j. that was unnecessary ”, she spoke and ultimately got up from her bed. she suddenly paused and looked around, feeling like she’d just heard a noise. “ hear that? ”.

“ it’s voyage. they’re calling. ”

that was bizarre in every sense of the world. she had just spoken to lieutenant creed a couple of hours ago and all seemed to have been okay. besides, if there was something strange happening, he would have said something. but that’s when it came to mind, the possibility of an emergency call.

her eyes widened.

an emergency call.

hope ran. it was rare to get a signal from voyage unless if it was an emergency call or a distress signal. and all the possible reasons started to race through her head one by, possibilities becoming countless. she ran down the hall, ignoring her limp and took the elevator up once again to the navigation cabin, and for some reason, she felt like she wouldn’t leave this cabin anytime soon.

she saw the sign just above her head blaring with a red color and then tapped a button to allow the transmitted signal to reach her. the projector that had shown creed’s hologram yesterday lit up once more. the image took a while to clear as it always does, and hope stood there patiently until a figure appeared.

this figure, hope recognized to be beatrice yoh. she was easily the scariest person hope has ever had the pleasure of meeting. and as the chairwoman of a universal company, seeing her making the announcement and not a simple voyage general caused hope’s insides to tense up.

yoh was a woman in her late forties. you could tell based off of some wrinkles on her skin, traces of age slowly catching up to her but she remained beautiful, with long, black hair and monolid eyes and a pretty nose. she was normally seen wearing the voyage jacket, but today, she was wearing a long, white coat with the identification badge pinned to her chest.

“ this is beatrice yoh, chairwoman of voyage inc speaking. i am giving this announcement to call all voyage members to a meeting at our main base in titan, one of saturn’s many moons. i aim to round up as many members as i can for this meeting, so if you’re receiving this signal, you’re being summoned ”, her voice was smooth, but there was a vigor in it that gave this woman the true aura she emitted, and it was that of someone who was capable of doing incredible things.

“ the reason for the meeting cannot be discussed freely. but i am here to emphasize the severity of the situation. hence why voyage requires immediate responses from all possible units and members around the galaxy. the meeting will be held at 5 o’clock, saturn-jovian time ”, the woman continued, and hope spotted an attempt at a slight smile from her. “ we ask that you hurry. and we look forward to seeing each and every single one of you. ”

the hologram went off, just like that and hope was left sighing. this was incredibly odd, in every sense of the word. voyage wasn’t the type to publicly panic its members like this and it most definitely wouldn’t call people like hope who were in some way independent from the corporation. she had left the corporation as a pilot years ago and now they were calling her back as if it was her moral duty to obey.

but then she remembered the possibility of seeing lieutenant creed there and felt somewhat lenient to going. he was a person she wouldn’t mind seeing, and quite frankly, she missed him terribly. the idea of missing the chance to see him was stupid and she decided that she had to go.

but then her thoughts wandered to the pirates. a.j hadn’t alerted her in her sleep of anything concerning them so something told they weren’t planning on leaving. which was a bummer, especially now when she was given a vital task. and she didn’t trust voyage all too much to leave her ship parked out in the docks.

so what was she going to do? these guys most likely weren’t the type to listen to her even though she had exploded hours ago and wounded up hurting one of their members. so they would most likely end up sneaking out.

that’s when hope realized she was going to have to tell them whether she liked it or not. she groaned. after having just punched dominic, she wasn’t looking forward to coming into contact with any of them, even if it was for their own good.

thankfully, however, she didn’t really have to head down the elevator and seek any of them out because she saw the elevator door slide open. and out stepped enzo, who looked particularly calm for someone who had witnessed hope’s total mental breakdown hours ago.

“ hope— ”.

“ na-ah. me first. you listen. ”

enzo’s arms dropped to the side of his body as his expression relaxed and his chest heaved, “ okay . . . ”.

“ just now, beatrice yoh came into contact with me and other voyage ships around the area. supposedly, there is a meeting being held at titan and i have to go in case i want to keep my job or not miss out key details on something which could be an intergalactic war ”, hope explained, leaning lightly against her chair. 

“ holy shit ”, enzo murmured. “ yoh? the chairwoman? ”. hope nodded. “ that woman never comes out in public, she’s always hiding away, doing something and only comes into the public eye to announce important things. so . . . this must be serious. ”

“ that’s my take on it. so i can’t avoid going. which is why i’m worried about what i’m going to do about you guys ”, hope began and saw enzo’s expression drop with an ounce of sadness which she couldn’t quite understand the origin of. as far as she was aware, she hadn’t been entirely too friendly to him either. “ speak, man, i wanna know your thoughts. ”

“ well, we can easily hide or pose ourselves as voyage inc officers. if you don’t want to be seen with us, we can stay hidden in the ship somehow ”, he stated and hope opened her mouth to object. “ we’ll stay this time. w-we won’t try to intervene. we kinda learned our lesson. ”

hope stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. she felt somewhat better in comparison to all that had occurred. getting some proper sleep had helped her recover some of her strength and the migraine was slightly gone but she would often feel pinches of pain and it wasn’t a nice sensation.

“ did you, now? ”.

enzo sighed and took a step closer, “ look, i’m sorry, okay? i know it was incredibly dumb to do that, especially since we ended up doing more harm than actually helping. i just . . . i felt like i owed it to you for taking us under your wing and that you could use some help. but i see it now that you were better off alone, and i’m sorry. ”

“ no, it wasn’t your place ”, hope commented and watched enzo give her a meek smile. but she appreciated the apology. perhaps he was trying to apologize earlier but she completely blew up at everyone. but she didn’t regret punching and nearly choking dominic out. the statement he made about nebula was not going to go unnoticed. “ but, dude, you don’t owe me anything. it was a bargain, you don’t have to help me with anything. getting you guys off my back is as great as it can be. ”

“ ouch ”, enzo said with a slight laugh, hope rolled her eyes slightly. “ your words pack quite the punch, you know that, right? ”.

“ i’ve been told. you’re not the first to have told me that ”, hope replied quickly, shifting slightly on her feet. “ i’m just being honest. you don’t owe me anything. we’re not a team. i’m simply doing you a favor and you’re doing one in return as well. uh, well, not exactly considering you went ag—”.

“ —against your orders, yeah, and i apologize again ”, enzo spoke with a firm nod, he didn’t show any intention at looking at her in the eyes and she was given the impression of either shame or guilt from him. “ listen, i-if there’s anything we can do for you, even if it’s just hiding in the ship, tell us. w-we don’t want to be known as the people making your life hell, hope. ”

“ you could start off by getting rid of dominic. ”

“ wha— ”.

hope chuckled slightly and shook her head, suppressing her smile. “ i’m kidding. but i believe the safest thing to do is to keep you guys out of the ship. something tells me voyage will snoop around even if it’s not their property. and if they find you, ” hope took a pause and gulped.

enzo watched her for a moment and then nodded, “ y-yeah. i can imagine what’ll happen. we won’t be the only ones in trouble, you might be susceptible for charges to do with a mutiny. ”

“ god, they have to use piracy terms to describe it ”, hope complained under her breath and heard a laugh from enzo. “ you guys are seriously everywhere, aren’t you? terrorizing the space-time continuum even through legal terms. ”

“ you really don’t like us. ”

“ i don’t ”, hope replied honestly and bit her lip for a moment. “ i’ve dealt with all sorts of criminals out in space, never once have i had a personal grudge against any of them. terrorists, assassins, hackers. all sorts. but the only people who make me sick to even hear about them are pirates. ”

she knew it was perhaps the worst thing to do, insulting a pirate to his face but she couldn’t really hide her dislike towards them. especially with the most recent events.

“ did we kill someone who matters to you or something? ”, enzo’s voice was sarcastic but when he saw the way hope’s expression changed into something more solemn, he seemed to switch his demeanor. “ n-no one died, right? ”.

“ my old man almost did a while back ”, hope said. enzo let out a small oh and nodded slowly. “ intergalactic space battle. a huge pirate ship was trying to pillage one of the structures at the v-colony, my dad’s team went to combat against it. ripped his ship in half and tore his arm from his body. ” enzo suddenly hissed in reaction to the tale. “ he had to amputate it. and he’s not getting a metal reestablishment for a couple of months. ”

so, she had just told a pirate about her story. but of course, it wasn’t the only reason why she wanted every pirate on the face of the galaxy to cease. it was because she’s heard stories from friends and how their families suffered from pirates, and how lives were changed because of the terror these galactic sailors caused. 

most of the people who encountered pirates wounded up getting hurt in one way or another, and it was why she wanted to avoid the ones who had infiltrated her ship but now it seemed like it was out of the question, for the time being. she wanted to fly them to pluto but now she was being called for a meeting. 

it was as if the universe was fighting to keep her near these people and she was doing everything in her power to fight against whatever this spooky determination was.

“ but your dad’s alive, yeah? ”, enzo questioned.

“ ‘course he is, he persevered through the pain like the badass he is. but that’s beside the point. his way of living has been completely changed. my dad used to play football and used to craft and create and used to play the guitar. and this accident took all of that from him, it took a part of his identity away ”, hope said, wishing that he could understand where she was going with this story. “ the damage may seem minimal at first but it ends up being catastrophic for the person later on. and he’s going to have to wait to get some normalcy back in his life. ” she smiled bitterly. “ it’s not fair. ”

silence settled and hope found enzo looking at her for a hot second, as if inspecting her or something. as if waiting for her to burst into tears. and as ready as she was to cry about it, she couldn’t look weak. not right now. “ s-so i hope you don’t take too much offense ”, she said somewhat lightheartedly. “ from what i’ve learned, dealing with pirates leads to pain and something always being taken away. whether it’s money, happiness or a man’s arm. ”

clearing her throat, hope turned to her control panel. “ uh, anyway. i’m going to ask a.j to manufacture some voyage uniforms and to fabricate some badges and identity chips. you’ll just have to play along with your roles and pray that it all works out ”, she proposed. 

enzo finally moved out of his catatonic state. he blinked and cleared his throat, “ uh, yeah. we’ll wait for that. but uh, thank you. for telling me. ”

“ don’t pity me now, captain ”, hope teased in hopes of lightening the mood but it didn’t work as well as she hoped it would, because enzo still appeared to be frowning. “ i didn’t say it for sympathy. only understanding. there’s a difference. ”

“ i know ”, enzo said quickly and he gave her a smile, one which brought her a slight bit of comfort. “ but i have a feeling what you’ve said might be wrong. and that we’re doing god’s work in coming here and messing up your lifestyle. it was fate! ”.

he sounded so optimistic and certain about himself like he and this crew truly had the power to shift the course of her life as if they held that much significance. she couldn’t help but roll her eyes, but not because he was talking utter bullshit, but because she wondered how long he would keep believe it.

“ fate sometimes isn’t a good thing, enzo. ”

time skip  ﹏

whilst a.j began to manufacture the uniforms and the badges, hope set up nebula for the trip. after providing her with some fuel, hope started to prepare for lift-off. she pulled the lever on the side as per usual and nebula shifted, the legs folding into the contraptions and the ship soon began to hover.

indicating for any ships behind her, hope backed nebula out of the docks and turned right, and soon the ship was moving. it had been a shame that she hadn’t gotten the chance to explore j-colony properly, but surely she would be able to see it soon enough. perhaps she could drop in to really explore it. 

anyway, nebula was out of the docks in five minutes. and upon being granted permission to leave, hope launched the orientation stick forward and nebula took off, j-colony growing smaller and smaller behind them whilst they raced into jupiter’s atmosphere and up to where the clouds were denser.

the turbulence revisited once more but significantly less than before. in fact, hope got to see the lightning up close, jumping slightly when a flash snapped just ahead of her and she let out an excited laugh. it seemed like the universe had listened to her prayers.

they started to eventually leave the gas giant’s atmosphere. jupiter had a great gravitational pull, so it seemed like nebula had to power through some storm to avoid being reeled back like metal to a magnet. but hope pushed through with full speed and soon enough, the clouds began to clear. it was unfortunate, however, that there was no crystal rain in the exit.

once hope saw the cluster of stars in the distance and ebony vacuum of space, she couldn’t help but smile. what she’s found in the last couple of days is that she’s been smiling a lot more. mostly to herself. it was like she finally began to marvel at the grace of the galaxies she was allowed to explore.

now, usually in the atmosphere of many planets, there are floating structures. and these structures, circular and some as large as the london eye back on earth, served as portals for ships. and it was just a matter of finding the one for saturn that was keeping hope from traveling straight for the ringed giant.

“ a.j, can you trace the closest saturn portal? ”.

“ checking for coordinates now. i’ve finished making the uniforms. perhaps you should go check on the pirates. i’ll set nebula on autopilot. ”

hope hummed, “ thanks, hun. ” standing up, hope looked out into the vast ocean of ebony littered with crystals and twinkling lights, forming a picture so beautiful that she wished she could burn the image in the back of her mind.

ripping her gaze away eventually, hope went down the elevator to the middle floor and managed to spot one of the pirates, vivi, already out in the hallway. she had something in her arms, it appeared to be folded clothes and hope quickly recognized the color of the material. it doesn’t take a second pair of eyes to identify a voyage inc uniform.

vivienne’s eyes met hope’s and she offered the bounty hunter a charming smile. hope only realized how pretty the beam was now. it was elegant, and had a pleasant air to it. “ the uniform is nice, i have to say, as much as i dislike voyage ”, she commented. 

“ if you don’t stay for the rules, stay for the fashion ”, hope commented and was somewhat relieved to hear a laugh in response. she looked down for a moment and struggled to find the words but she managed at some point, arms crossed over her chest. “ uh, how is he? ”.

“ dom? ”, vivienne asked. hope nodded and the other reacted with a hum, though the soft smile never dared to go away. “ he’s okay. shocked, i’d imagine. but dawn is trying to clean his bruise. ”

“ oh shit, he’s got a bruise? ”.

“ well, yeah. you hit him pretty hard. don’t worry, he won’t sue. ”

hope couldn’t help but roll her eyes slightly. sure, she felt some guilt in having to punch a person to assert some level of dominance. usually, she would want to settle things peacefully but dominic made things incredibly difficult. and when things are difficult for hope, her stubbornness tends to make it even more difficult.

vivienne spoke again, “ but enzo spoke to me. you chose to trust us again, huh? i don’t know whether you’re just being nice or being stupid. ” 

hope’s face dropped. “ don’t tell me you’re going to start insulting me as well, vivi. ”

the girl quickly shook her head and then her hands in a defensive manner. “ no, definitely not. i can respect what you’re doing. it’s a lot to be asked of. to have your space invaded and to have to deal with the hot garbages that we are ”, the blonde said and hope snickered. “ but you still help. i can admire that. ”

“ but don’t forget, we’re not fri— ”.

“  —friends, yes. i’ve caught onto that ”, vivienne nodded with solemnity, but she pushed through with a tight-lipped smile. “ still, i wish you can at least deal with us being a rowdy family. we don’t have our ship, but we have each other. ”

yes, they had each other. they were all friends, who had probably grown to accept their individual differences. whether it was an inflated ego or overbearing shyness. they seemed to accept each other, and though they bickered and called each other out on their bullshit, they remained close. like a family. 

they were a functioning cackle of idiots who brought out the best in each other. she hadn’t known them for too long but she was smart enough to know that they mattered to each other.

hope grew quiet but she soon felt a hand on her shoulder. she didn’t shrug it off. “ you can always become a part of it, though. and even if you don’t want to, something tells me you’ll end up in it regardless ”, vivienne continued and patted hope’s cheek gently and then took a quick step back. 

playing with her sleeves slightly, hope watched vivienne turn and walk away, possibly to change into her new clothes. standing in the empty hall, the girl let out a small sigh and heard a.j’s voice from her wristband.

“ hope, i found the portal. we’re due to enter it in five minutes, i suggest going back to the navigation cabin ”, he said. hope just nodded and did just that, but her thoughts were racing as she did. honestly, it wasn’t her intention to get distracted when she had something important to do.

once sat at her chair again, hope caught sight of an enormous portal up ahead. ah. usually, the ships that go to saturn end up being the bigger ones, after all, it was by that planet where the main base for voyage inc was located. and parking spaces were usually incredibly hard to find, so she pushed the speed lever and nebula sped up with a sharp snap forward.

soon, the portal drew closer and something seemed to turn on. it seemed like it had sensed nebula’s presence and turned officially enabled its entrance to open. blinding lights met hope’s aching eyes as she squinted and continued moving forward. soon, nebula had sunk in and was engulfed by a layer of light, and for a moment it felt like hope was coursing through space at speeds faster than light, like entering a dream sequence.

but nebula was only crossing through the teleporter, and by taking the portal, they would have reduced their 2 billion kilometer journey down to some minutes. hope waited as nebula traveled, trying not to push through the speed limit in case the portal ended up throwing her across the galaxy.

even though her eyes were aching, she didn’t have to sit there for long. soon, nebula broke through the portal’s traveling sequence and the lights cleared and hope found the ship crossing into new territory, landing face-first with the ringed giant known as saturn in the distance.

“ holy shit. ”

truly, she’s never been able to marvel planets like these in all their splendor properly, not even whilst crossing an entire galaxy in search of a criminal. the last time she saw saturn, it was on a space bus from earth to titan. and that was roughly four years ago. seeing it properly now, hope couldn’t help but smile.

smiling again. that was rather odd.

now, saturn had sixty-two moons. but nebula’s map managed to find titan not too far from where she was. so hope took after it as full speed, and it was like the stationary stars in the distances were moving in a series of lines of lights, similar to that of what she saw at j-colony.

grinning brightly, hope cheered, wanting to perform some tricks, turning nebula upside down but she was mindful of the passengers downstairs and she didn’t want to paint herself as a reckless pilot. even though she can be that if you were to ask it from here. she had at least a dozen tricks up her sleeve, it was just the matter of when she was able to show them off.

soon enough, titan came into view. and as per usual, the control center came into contact even before hope could approach the moon’s atmosphere. “ nbla-43, do you have clearance to access the docks of the voyage inc docks? ”.

it took every bone in her body to not mimic the tone of the man, it was like the other one she had come across upon entering jupiter. it was entertaining, to say the least. it goes to say that voyage tends to overwork their members to the point where they lose a sense of identity or humanity.

“ sending voyage inc identification details over ”.

and after the clearance was verified, nebula descended into titan’s atmosphere. it was quite like earth, in it that upon getting through many clouds, hope managed to find the ground and actual water in the form of oceans, lakes, and rivers. for many years, people considered titan as a possible home for humans. but the conditions there were not reflecting that of earth. still, it felt a lot more welcoming than the floating cities in gas giants like jupiter.

within the many mountain ranges, hope spotted a structure perched on the tallest mountain. it was immense, large enough to wrap around the entire peak of the mountain and even descended down to the bottom. it was like voyage had put a metal box over natural beauty. but within the structure laid the official voyage inc headquarters.

finding a parking space wasn’t as hard as hope was expecting, and she saw that it was mostly because she had shown up two hours before she even had to be anywhere near titan. well, she fancied being early than being late.

soon, nebula touched down on an empty space. the docks were in open-air, and hope soon spotted the voyage officers in oxygen helmets. she hummed, “ forgot there wasn’t any breathable oxygen on this moon. ”

“ titan may be hospitable compared to other moons and planets in the milkyway, but most of the atmosphere is composed of nitrogen. wearing a mask is necessary. oh, and i suggest getting a scarf and some gloves ”, a.j explained.

hope groaned, she was going to have to get changed into the stupid uniform. but she didn’t give herself time to complain. she simply got up from her seat after turning off nebula’s engine and after fussing around in her bedroom, came out in the official voyage inc clothes.

it was a navy blue coat reaching around the knees, fitted around the waist which meant the skirt was slightly shorter on the back and longer on the front. edged on the chest was an odd cross detail, from breast to breast and then a longer zipper from the neck to the waist. lest forget the navy blue, tight trousers beneath with some dark, slightly heeled boots. 

oh, and the damned badge.

soon, she left her room and wandered to the lounge where she found the pirates. some were still putting on their jackets, others were adjusting their badges. hope’s eyes went over to dominic, and when he looked up, she held back the urge to gasp at the huge bruise that had formed on his cheekbone, just below the eye.

biting her lip, hope looked away with her hands behind her back. vivienne took notice of her and grinned, “ okay, the uniform is way cuter than i imagined. ” hope smiled slightly and averted her gaze towards enzo and quinn. they seemed to still be fidgeting with the badges.

“ there’s no pin. it’s a magnet, it attaches to that silver plate ”, hope called, motioning to her chest, near where her own badge was.

“ i knew that ”, enzo grumbled with a slight roll of the eyes. they all looked rather flattering in those clothes. it was odd to know that they were pirates dressed in the clothes of the people they hated the most, but they played it off casually. well, except for enzo and dom. who both had bruises on their faces.

quinn turned and glanced towards hope, “ you’re certain they won’t stop us, right? it’s not that i don’t trust your a.i, it just worries me that perhaps we’ll be stopped. that they’ll detect that the badges are fake. ”

hope quickly shook her head. “ the badges a.j made are not fakes. they’re very much real. your identities are what are fake. a.j just generated some names and other details and now you’ll just have to roll with it. if you tap your badge, this window will appear. you’ll see all the details you gotta study ”, she paused and looked at her wristband. “ in five minutes. ”

dawn stood on her tip-toes. she looked perhaps the cutest in the uniform, especially since it seemed like she’d done her hair up in space buns. “ i read mine already. my name is stella! i think it means star in . . . in—”.

“ italian, hun ”, vivienne quickly told her, reading through her own details. “ hah. my name is io, like jupiter’s moon. that’s nice! ”.

“ mine’s roger ”, enzo said with a sense of disappointment. “ roger? i’d like to change it. ”

“ no ”, hope told him promptly.

after that long period of getting ready and memorizing facts about fake identities, hope soon opened the hatchet after they had all slipped on oxygen helmets. oh, and got some gloves and scarves. titan might be like earth but it’s much colder. the stairs formed and hope descended first, wrapping her arms around herself. it was rather chilly, but she could survive, at least.

it was odd, stepping into a place that wasn’t the planet you were born in. earth was so familiar to many of them, and being somewhere new often causes people to either panic or be unable to contain their excitement. for hope, it was mostly the latter. but only for a moment, she didn’t want to be silly in front of them.

stepping out into the docks, she looked into the view around them. the docks were open like she’d mentioned, but also atop an immense mountain, so hope gulped and tried not to look directly down. but she took a moment to see the clouds of blues and greys and what seemed to be a tinge of turquoise. titan was truly bizarre but fascinating. 

hope led the way flying through the docks as to avoid being blown off the mountain, hurrying through into a metal door after crossing a vast concrete field of vehicles and voyage officers leaving and entering the area, not to mention the dozen trucks bringing in deliveries and exporting items like weapons and resources for building.

the headquarters was gloomy and off on top of the mountain but upon crossing through some cleaning containers where they were blasted with some sort of steam to rid them of bacteria or anything toxic, they were allowed to set into the behemoth palace of lights and echoing footsteps.

it was beautiful from the inside. the building had at least twenty stories and a cut in the middle allowed a panoramic view of all the said levels from the railings. hope hurried over to the railings herself upon removing her helmet, and looked down to the open circle and saw officers working away, some in white coats, others carrying weapons, others in smart suits carrying briefcases.

it was an intimidating buzz, to say the least. but this was the hub for the intelligentsia and to be walking in it was perhaps the most thrilling experience of any person who adventures through space, even for pirates. for hope, she had always liked this place. it was safe, it felt safe. but she also felt trapped. thinking back on it, she could see why.

the dazzling blue lights and holograms and circular patterns may be satisfying for the human eye, but it never made her feel too good. if anything, she would often feel like it was too artificial. even j-colony, a city built as a floating island to mimic the cities back home, felt less artificial than this.

but they say it was secure.

hope didn’t even notice the pirates had gathered by the railings and also took a glance around the place. “ wow. okay, say what you want about this corporation but they have a very keen eye in fashion and architecture ”, vivienne muttered under her breath, dawn nodded vigorously.

quinn leaned closer to hope and spoke in a slightly lowered tone. “ working here must have been a pain, huh? ”, he questioned.

hope moved away slightly, not too fond of the proximity but she nodded and took a deep breath. “ i feel anxious being here. but i’ve been called and there’s also someone i’d love to see. so being here isn’t too bad. plus, they kinda amended the place ”, she began and would have continued but then she overheard someone calling her name.

throwing a glance over her shoulder, the girl couldn’t help but smile when lieutenant creed, the man of the hour, appeared. he was wearing the fancy white lab coat which he wore during their short conversation over the hologram. seeing him in person, however, she noticed the grey hairs on his scalp and even some on his goatee. but his freckles were as obvious as ever.

he offered her a wave and stretched out his hand when she approached, which she clasped into a firm handshake. “ look at you, you’ve gotten taller. or perhaps i’m shrinking ”, creed laughed.

“ you’re forty-seven ”, hope reminded him lightheartedly.

“ already forty-seven. even your dad is younger than me ”, creed exclaimed and patted her shoulder tenderly. “ still, it’s great to see you again. ” he looked over her and spotted the pirates and hope felt her stomach sink. “ oh, newbies? haven’t seen their faces before. ”

“ i, uh, managed to recruit them. ”

“ you? since when were you influential like your mother? ”.

“ don’t get rude. ”

creed let out a hearty laugh and greeted the group with a wave, and thank goodness, dawn, and enzo managed to comfortably wave back. quinn nodded and vivienne offered a polite bow in greeting. dominic, however, seemed distracted by something else. good, at least they were good at acting casual. 

“ well, before i let you go, i have to remind you of something ”, the lieutenant spoke. her interest peaked. “ uh, it appears hiro has come back from his mission. he was summoned today here as well. ”

hope faked a gag and it was definitely intentional. hearing the very name often struck her with a sense of revulsion and with a bad taste in her mouth. she cherished creed with all her heart but she despised him right now for reminding him of that fool’s existence. 

“ i preferred it if you hadn’t told me ”, hope uttered, covering her mouth with her hand.

creed gave her a meek smile, “ it was inevitable. he’s been doing quite well as a bounty hunter. well, he hasn’t been working alone, he’s had some help from a good friend of his. they’re a popular duo here. ”

hope’s eyebrows rose. “ poor girl ”, commented the bounty hunter, letting her hand drop to her side. “ but honestly, i don’t have anything to talk about with him anymore. so i might as well just enjoy my time here before the meeting. he’s not spoiling my good mood. ”

the lieutenant’s expression softened slightly. “ i hope so ”, he replied whilst looking fondly at her and the girl rolled her eyes playfully, but there was a flustered expression that manifested on her delicate features for a fleeting moment. “ anyway, i need to get going. you’ll see me at the meeting. try not to cause trouble for the next two hours, okay? ”. 

nodding, hope watched him give her a small salute and let his eyes settle on the pirates behind her before the simper returned to his lips. he proceeded off in the direction of the labs and hope saw him off. her mind couldn’t help but wonder how he was dealing with the news of his friend, hope’s father. it must have hit him hard.

“ who’s hiro? ”.

hope yelled slightly when enzo’s face appeared beside her, he’d been peering over her shoulder and she didn’t even clock until he spoke. she huffed and ran a hand through her hair, “ no one important. ”

she saw enzo raise an eyebrow as if to say really, and she gave in. “ someone i dislike. we didn’t get along when we were both navigators and we still don’t like each other. i’ve grown to forget he exists, though ”, she stated.

“ well, if he tries to bother you, we’ve got your back ”, enzo declared. hope opened her mouth to say something but she didn’t have to based off of enzo’s passive reaction. “ i know, we’re not friends. but i’m not enzo right now. i’m roger. so as roger, i’ll cover for you. ”

he gave her a thumbs up and she almost didn’t react, he looked so foolish grinning so vibrantly like that. it was enough to envoke a slight snort from her as she averted her eyes elsewhere, “ that’s such a shitty name. “

“ i know. can we change it now? ”.

“ no. ”

secretly, though, hope felt grateful for the way not only he, but most of the pirates looked out for her. they were in their best behavior, and for a moment, that pang of guilt returned. she frowned for a moment as enzo returned to the crew, as she realized how shitty it was for that whole performance in the lounge hours ago. it wasn’t necessary.

but it was done now.

choices.

her ears were still ringing from the explosion.

it’s indescribable what being near an explosion can do to you, but being near two may potentially mess you up in ways unimaginable. hope has never been the type to set off bold traps like that to catch her criminals. she’s always been very precise and quiet when it comes to killing, making a ruckus just didn’t make any sense to her.

at this point, her head was throbbing from increasing agony. it felt like someone had taken a drum and started banging it repeatedly by her head. it came to a point where keeping her eyes were better off closed. but she needed to get back to the ship fist.

now, she had no idea how those pirates found their way to her, how they’d managed to find the location and set up two explosives on the walls. whatever tactics they used, whatever reason they had, she didn’t want to hear any of it. if anything, she didn’t want to hear anything from them at all.

on the hoverbike ride back to the docks, hope was fighting against the exhaustion that had come from that mission. but she had officially killed the criminal on top of her bounty list.

crimson, in his life as a criminal, had pillaged, stolen, killed and hurt hundreds of people for his own sick pleasure. and with him gone, hope considered the galaxy to be somewhat safer. but there were people still out there who would still challenge peaceful ways of living. and hope wasn’t for it.

people such as pirates.

for some reason, the trip back took longer, and it was probably because hope gave up on the idea of reckless driving and wounded up being careful this time around, mostly because she felt like she was dying and that if she acted recklessly here now, she would end up doing more damage to herself.

hope soon said goodbye to the main road and took a harsh left before she was riding through the docks once again. it took her a while to find e dock, and upon seeing nebula, she heard a small jingle tapping against her ear into her earphone.

a.j.

“ you’re injured ”.

hope sighed whilst dismounting the hoverbike. and upon disconnecting it from her system, she then sent the hoverbike on an autopilot mode. it drove off along with its helmet, most likely to the nearest hoverbike parking space. she was going to miss it dearly, it had helped her a lot that day.

“ it’s only a migraine, a.j, relax. besides, being injured won’t stop me from giving those pirates a nice smack over the head of every single one of them, who told them to get involved with my mission?! ”, she yelled and noticed the rise of her tone. realizing she couldn’t bring attention to herself, she blinked and shook her head. “ but i’m okay. did you call voyage? i want my reward. ”

a.j sighed, “ hope, i have scanned your condition. you might have a blast injury. ”

hope paused for a moment and let out a laugh. hope rarely laughed. maybe she was going insane. “ what? those two weren’t even a-bomb level explosions. i’ll be fine, it’s just the shoc— ”.

“ hope, i recommend laying down. blast injuries can cause damage to air-filled organs in the human body and something in that explosion was off. it wasn’t just a grenade or something of the sort ”, a.j explained. hope listened carefully. “ i recommend laying down and looking for medicine. ”

hope didn’t like arguing with a.j. usually, there was no point in arguing with him because he was always factually correct and she wouldn’t not trust him. he’s been her companion for years, he wouldn’t lie about something like this. something like an injury.

so she bit her lip and chose to follow his instructions. she watched the hatchet open up and the stairs appear and began to take the steps up into the ship she was worried about fo the whole mission. 

upon entering, she found that the pirates hadn’t returned yet. and she didn’t care if they didn’t. she hoped that they would find themselves caught by a voyager officer. ever since she took them in, they’ve been nothing but a headache and now they were out causing mayhem. and hope didn’t like it.

the first place she went to was her bedroom, where she quickly changed out of her clothes and into her bathing robe. if she was going to relax, she might as well do it properly. before leaving for the shower, though, she set down her change of clothes folded neatly at the foot of her bed.

now that the engine was working properly, the warm water was allowed to come on. the bathroom was actually quite big, big enough to fit a shower and a bath in case she got bored of one. hope didn’t take to long when it came to showering. she simply got rid of the ash and dirt that had settled on her skin and then washed her hair quickly. it was like when she was back home, excited to finish her shower to get more sleep-time after a long day at school.

i should probably give mom or dad a call soon, she thought after stepping out. she put on her robe once more and she didn’t leave until she’d dried her hair, finding it hand to brush it at first because she had no more moisturizing cream. 

in around twenty minutes, she had changed into some suitable clothes and had taken the medicine that a.j had recommended for her. her eyes would often dart to the time, wondering just where those pirates were and if they would be making an entrance before she left the docks. if not, she wouldn’t mind it either.

before she could even think about relaxing, though, she realized she had to come into contact with voyage in order to tell them about crimson’s status. so she went up to her navigation cabin and after fiddling with the control panel for a bit, a projector emitted a holographic figure of some sort. it took a moment for the image to clear but hope soon found it to be lieutenant creed.

creed was a tall man of african origin, with a strong and defined facial structure and deep-set eyes holding a mixture of sagacity and purpose. hope had never noticed it but there were freckles which could be seen scattered against his cheeks, a charming detail to a man who often terrified her with a single glance.

“ hope. how lovely for you to call. i expect some good news? ”.

hope nodded and bowed her head respectively. “ crimson is dead. i’ll give the coordinates to where you can find his body. it’s an alleyway, east-central of j-colony. nearby the shopping district. i don’t suppose it’ll take longer for your team to find him ”, she explained, typing in the said coordinates into a dialing pad.

creed seemed to have received it. his gaze fell down to something hope couldn’t quite see but she imagined it to be the details she’d sent. “ well done. i suppose you can finally cross him out of your bounty list. your reward will be transferred to your account by tomorrow, earth-time ”, the lieutenant explained. hope let out a sigh of relief and nodded. “ but, hope. i can’t help but ask why you look so pale. ”

hope blinked. creed was always a man who centered his attention on his work but it never stopped him from behind somehow caring. or at least critical and watchful. “ oh, it’s nothing. a.j says it’s a blast injury ”, she spoke and saw an expression of alarm pass over creed’s face. “ b-but it’s okay, sir. well, uh, crimson managed to lead me into a trap into this alleyway. but i got him nonetheless before he could escape. ”

she didn’t know why she, even now, dared to cover up the work of the pirates. it was most likely because she didn’t want creed to suspect that maybe she was hiding criminals in her ship. yes, she just didn’t want her reputation tarnished because of those guys.

“ still, i hope these explosions didn’t cause too much damage. we need you, hope ”, his voice became kinder in a way, hope couldn’t help but be reminded of her father back home. “ i suggest getting some rest. and if it is serious, travel to the hospital over at j-colony. i’ll even put you down for an emergency check-up if you need it. ”

hope quickly shook her head, “ n-no, sir, that won’t be necessary. the symptoms have only been a slight migraine, nothing too serious. ” she says that even though it felt like a dozen nails were being hammered into her skull. 

creed nodded, and she saw the way his head seemingly dropped with some tone of worry. he then tilted his head but he didn’t look towards her, it was like he was avoiding her gaze. “ i’ve received some news from your father ”, he exclaimed in a put-on, lighthearted tone. hope’s interest skyrocketed. “ he’s been dispatched from the hospital. but it appears they won’t be able to get him a metal arm for a couple of months. there’s been a high demand for them in the corporation, especially for those who sustained injuries in battle. ”

hope’s gaze dropped to her lap. her father worked for voyage just like she had. he’s been there even before she was born and has always said it was his home, but a month ago he got into an aerial altercation and the blast his ship suffered was enough to shatter his arm beyond repair. they found it would have been best to amputate the arm and wait for a metal reestablishment until they had enough money to pay for a surgery to give him a new arm with his own cells.

hope hasn’t been there to visit him once.

“ i suppose that is good news. i was expecting something worse ”, hope chuckled and lightly shook her head as to avoid another pinch of the migraine. “ i-if you come into contact with him before i do, tell him i miss him terribly. and that i’ll try my best to visit him soon enough. ”

creed nodded his head, “ certainly. well, i hate to cut this short but duty is calling. again, thank you for taking care of the major problem. and rest and take care of yourself before you even think of hunting again. ” hope laughed lightheartedly. creed wasn’t threatening when he was caring. “ goodbye, hope. ”

she waved and watched the holographic projector turn off. her smile dropped as she leaned against her chair and let out an exasperated sigh. too much was happening all at once, her thoughts were accumulating into a worse headache and it was difficult to sort even the smallest of things, like the fact that she could rest now. 

but hope still remained anxious even on her way to her bedroom. her father . . . she was worried about his reaction to all of this. he’s always been so eager about his job and what he does and to suddenly have to stop working might impact him negatively. he was like her, in that he always had to be doing something, even whilst not working. 

by the time she reached her bed, the pain was overbearing and she thought she was going to start screaming in agony. but it seemed that the agony knocked her out before she could think to complain. her eyes were droopy and the feeling of hard, heavy rocks bashing against her head faded slowly as she dozed off. too exhausted to think about the pirates. too exhausted to think about anything at all.

time skip  ﹏

a jovian day is nine hours. hope, therefore, didn’t know whether she had slept a day or perhaps two days based on when the cobwebs of sleep lifted at the feeling of something being pressed to her forehead. she had lost the sense of time in her sleep, but it didn’t matter entirely too much because those hours of sleep were perhaps the most sleep she’s ever gotten in her young adult life.

hope awoke with a sense of discomfort somewhere in her body. there was an overwhelming ache that felt like it was affecting her bones more than her muscles, like there was something biting at her skeletal structure and sometimes gnawing at her nerves. she thought that maybe she had been kidnapped by bizarre aliens and was being experimented on.

but after a couple of minutes, she was able to open her eyes through the exhaustion and found a figure sat at the side of her bed. a figure holding what seemed to be a wet cloth to her face. if she had been feeling energized, hope would have smacked the hand away. but she was drained, unable to move or keep herself awake for too long.

her vision cleared and that’s when she recognized this figure to be dawn. 

the soft-faced girl seemed to sense hope’s waking presence as she caught her eyes and jumped slightly, but her expression softened as she removed the cloth from her face. hope almost asked her to put it back, it was a nice distraction from the pain.

“ you slept for twelve hours ”, dawn began by saying. her tone was soft, almost inaudible. but it was better than being welcomed by an out-going voice or even worse, a.j’s sultry, matter-of-fact, sarcastic tone. 

hope craned her head to the left slightly to peer at her digital clock, it was around 3 o’clock, jovian time. she sighed and turned her head back to its original position slowly. so the pirates had managed to find the ship. from what she could tell, nebula hadn’t taken off. so nobody had navigated her whilst she was sleeping. at least, she hoped that was the case.

dawn continued, “ we took our time getting back because we needed to get some stuff. clothes, weapons, that sort of thing. vivi also wanted to see the city properly, it’s the largest in the galaxy, after all. ” the girl chuckled softly and hope just watched and listened.

“ i-i couldn’t help but worry about you, though. t-the explosive enzo set up, he thought it would just be one that would stun anyone within the premise of its location. he thought it would have been useful for you to be able to catch crimson. b-but it ended up being a toxic smoke that was released ”, hope’s eyes widened slowly. “ w-we all managed to cover our mouths and noses but we forgot to warn you as well. ”

crimson had been wearing a mouth-mask during the chase. it had come off at some point but hope recalls him slipping it on after the first explosive went off. so he knew it was a toxic bomb rather than anything else. and she had been the one completely oblivious to all of it, the one injured and affected by the toxicity and only her. nobody else seemed to have gotten hurt.

hope’s blood started to boil, and it didn’t help that she was injured. but she was so angry, so bitter about all of this that she lost that sense of care towards her own well-being. what she knew is that she hated every single pirate aboard her ship at that very moment. 

not only had they nearly ruined her mission by acting recklessly and independently, but they also didn’t think to warn her just before the second bomb went off that she could have at least avoided being poisoned by toxic gas. it didn’t even run through their overbearingly confident minds that she at least deserved some clarity in her own mission.

they had stepped out of the nebula when she told them not to. they had jumped into action when they weren’t needed and they had nearly caused her target to run away when they could have just sat back and avoided screwing it all up for her.

oh, the rage hope felt couldn’t be explained even with the widest lexicon of a human being.

soon, she had kicked off her blankets and forced herself up. dawn yelped and tried to get her to lay down but hope managed to avoid her panicked pushing and broke through and got herself out of bed. then, without some effort required, she charged towards the door. there was a slight limp in her step as her right leg felt like it was asleep, or perhaps it was just the toxicity eating away at her bones. 

her bedroom door slid open and hope could hear dawn running after her, “ h-hope, you should lay d-down! y-you can’t be making sudden movements, y-your body is still recovering. ”

hope laughed bitterly as her eyebrows suddenly became stuck in a growing frown. “ now’s not the time to be caring about my well-being when we could have avoided this problem, to begin with, had your crew, i don’t know, told me about toxic bombs which they’d planted. or better yet, stayed inside the goddamn ship! ”, tone rising, hope’s footsteps quickened to where she heard voices.

the doors to the lounge opened and hope stepped in to see the pirates sat around so comfortably, at home as if they weren’t totally worried about the fact that she was a second away from perhaps strangling one of them with her bare hands. 

when the doors opened, enzo was the first to turn and look back and the smile on his face suddenly dropped. hope took a moment to lean against the wall and heard the doors open again and dawn rush over to her side, as if bracing herself for something.

“ w-why are you out of bed? ”.

“ let me do you one better, why are you still on my ship?! ”.

enzo jumped to his feet with furrowed brows, “ we were trying to help! i know you warned us but you’re not the boss of us here, at least not of them. i am. and i thought we could have helped you. we just didn’t want our ride to pluto getting into trouble. w-we meant no harm, hope! ”.

hope couldn’t help but let out an exasperated laugh, she couldn’t believe it! “ how about next time you’re trying to help someone, you use some of those brain cells to conduct a plan that won’t kill them!? ”, it wasn’t even a question, she was genuinely angry. “ god! and you still have the courage to come back here like i’m still going to take you somewhere. pack it up, get the fuck out! ”.

“ h-hop— ”.

“ get out! ”.

the more she yelled, the more lightheaded she felt. she took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair, pulling at it slightly to ground herself because she felt like she was due to faint at any moment. 

“ you enter my ship. you take my shit as if it’s for free. you strike a bargain and sit around like you own the place and then you have the audacity, the audacity to intervene with my mission by dumping two toxic explosives into an alleyway. crimson almost got away! but hell, even he knew that the bombs were toxic, who cared to tell me that if i’d covered my mouth and nose, i wouldn’t have been poisoned!? ”, she continued.

“ we didn’t know it was a toxic bomb. we just took whatever shit you had on your ship and rolled with it ”, now dom spoke, and hope really wished he hadn’t. because every single time he opens his mouth, he enrages her to her breaking point. “ i mean, aren’t you like a 4-star bounty hunter? why didn’t you notice there were two explosives? ”.

“ because i was chasing a fucking crook into an alleyway with the intention of killing him, without the knowledge that you idiots would go against my orders and hatch a plan amongst yourselves and then never warn me! ”, hope shouted and threw up two fingers. “ two chances. you had two chances to warn me. you could have tapped into my tracker and told me. or you could have told me that the gas was toxic so at least i wouldn’t be limping all over the place! ”.

her throat started aching at this point and she burst into coughing, painful coughing that caused a shattering trail of torture throughout every bone in her body, it felt like a bomb had gone off her in her and her brain was barely able to hold itself in place.

hope felt a gentle hand against her back, probably dawn’s hand and didn’t really have the courage to pull away. she held her own hand to her forehead and furrowed her brows. she was out of breath, she could barely think but she knew that she was angry and at any moment, the anger might turn to murder.

vivienne’s voice broke through the silence, “ i think we should let her rest. whatever happened, it’s done now. and hope’s injured. she needs to be in a good condition even if she does end up taking us to where we have to be or not. ”

“ i won’t ”, hope muttered slowly.

dom laughed, “ well, i think it’s a damn shame. ” even with a migraine, hope could see him stand up from his seat on the couch and move towards her. “ i mean, i told you guys that you don’t trust someone who just happens to work at voyage. they’re perfectionists and any slight inconvenience makes them have a hissy fit. ”

“ dominic ”, quinn called in a doubtful tone.

“ don’t dominic me, quinn. come on, even you agreed that this wasn’t a good idea. i mean, it’s a shame our lovely captain here got injured. but think about it in a positive light! if she’s gone, we can just take her ship and go. ”

hope didn’t know where the energy came from. but it was like something murderous and malevolent had awoken from within her aching body and suddenly she forgot all about the sense of consequence and the idea of karma. that went out of the window in a heartbeat.

because dom had approached her and he had said something that had her heart racing in the worst way possible. suddenly, she got up from her hunched position and moved forward and with a swift swing of the hand, smack!

she heard dawn gasp behind her.

she’d slapped dom, and she made the effort of curling her fingers into her fists to add even more damage and when he staggered back, she wrapped her aching fingers around his throat and wounded up pushing him against the nearest wall, forcefully and violently.

her forearm came to where her fingers were as she kept him pinned to the wall. she noticed her breathing was erratic and only when she saw the redness on his right cheek did she think to step down.

but she didn’t.

“ listen here. listen very fucking carefully to what i’m about to say ”, hope spat, eyes blazing and wide. she knew she probably looked like a maniac in the eyes of many but she’s been cool for too long now and all that was happening around her had blood steaming and evaporating with rage, the heat, and hatred she felt was unbearable. “ you’re going to have to learn your place. right now, you’re on the verge of being throw into the middle of space-time continuum if you keep this up. if you even think you have a single ounce of power on this ship, you’re mistaken. you’re not touching nebula until my dying breath and that won’t be anytime soon so long as i stay alive to make your life a living hell. ”

“ l-let me g— ”.

hope stopped dead in her tracks and a maniacal smile suddenly reached her lips. “ only because you asked nicely ”, she said. her grip on him loosened and she watched his figure go limp before he settled in a crouched position near the floor, coughing.

hope began to feel lightheaded again. but she had time. so she turned to the others and looked at them individually. “ and that goes for the rest of you. if you think you have a sense of authority over me for any sort of reason, don’t count on it. but know something; we’re not a team, we’re not friends, we’re not comrades. we’re not anything ”, hope declared. “ and know that so long as you’re on my ship, you’ll behave. or i’m dumping you all on the nearest planet. i hope i made myself clear. ”

coughing into her hand, hope inhaled deeply before swiftly exiting the lounge. she didn’t care what they thought. hopefully what she did was enough to encourage them to get off the ship right now and never return. she hoped they would leave and allow her to rest in peace, and let her go back to her normal way of living. she wanted them gone, gone.

she came to her bedroom and sat down on her bed before rubbing her tired, aching eyes.

“ fuck. ”

hope hadn’t lost her patience in ages. she realized now the effects of being isolated from people for so long. she was accustomed to an obedient, smart a.i who didn’t run around causing mayhem for her. she was accustomed to a smart ship who would take her anywhere and provide her a dozen adventures around the galaxy.

she wasn’t used to pirates and toxic bombs and being poisoned. she wasn’t used to the way her life had changed over a day or two. all because she allowed herself to be generous towards a group of people she hoped wouldn’t give her trouble.

but they did.

because she was stupid enough to throw her trust on the table when the trust wouldn’t be mutual when it wouldn’t be noticed and respected.

“ hope, i’d like a sample of your blood, please. ”

hope rose her head towards her bedside table and saw that it was only a.j doing a health check-up. she sighed and placed her hand on a small device. soon, she felt a needle strike her index finger and she hissed and quickly searched for a bandaid. all whilst waiting for a.j’s response. “ so, am i dying? ”, she questioned with a timbre of sarcasm.

“ the toxicity levels seemed to have gone down during your fit of rage. perhaps you should head down to the gym to blow off some steam ”, a.j recommended and hope didn’t respond, she just slowly got up from her bed and walked to her wardrobe. but then he spoke again. “ i sense guilt from you. ”

hope rolled her eyes, “ reboot your system, a.j. ”

“ i am not joking, hope. i heard everything. i can understand the reason for your rage. what they did was incredibly idiotic but i sense that you don’t feel too good about having yelled at them ”, he justified and his tone seemingly changed into something quieter, almost skeptical. “ you never lose your patience. ”

“ yeah, yeah, but i’m human and other humans piss me off. especially those who try to mingle with my style of living and feel entitled to help me like i’m a damsel in distress. i’ve been doing this for years, i don’t need help! ”, hope hastily snapped and groaned. “ stop making me talk about it. ”

“ my apologies. ”

hope started to browse through her workout clothes but then her mind wandered for a moment. she bit her lip and frowned. since when was she such a bitch to her a.i? since when was she such a bitch in general?

it’s those pirates, she knows it.

they’re the reason she’s like this.