Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

A growling sounded. Accompanied with the roar of the engine a massive truck stopped. Soldiers came barreling out of the back. Mike stood up and pulled Killian to his feet. The captain struggled against him and was promptly ushered into the back of the vehicle. Killian followed reluctantly. A rough hand pushed him from behind. His leg started to give out and he stumbled forward. "Soldier do you know who you caught?" One of the officers smiled at Mike.

"Aye sir." Saluting them Mike grinned. "I've got Captain Killian. The smuggler."

The officer nodded. "Very good. Take him to lockdown."

Mike grabbed Killian by the back of his shirt and pushed carefully. He only had one good arm for the time but, there was no way that Killian could get away around here. "Don't even try it." Growling under his breath he peered up into the green eyes. It was difficult to tell if Killian thought he was helping or betraying him. Time would tell if his trust would bear out for the process. Flashing a quick smile toward the captain he pushed him again. This time he felt a vicious shrug of his captive's shoulder. Once they were near the tents he turned and took Killian toward the prisons. "We'll be keeping you down here till morning."

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Killian brought his legs almost to his chest and tucked his arms next to his body. Each breath he could see in the cell. It would have been a puddle of water in the cell except that it had turned to ice. Dropping his head to his knees Killian tried his best to get sleep. Every time that he was about to fall asleep a sharp jab with an electric cattle prod would wake him up. Finally he'd had enough and when the prod started to weave between the cell bars he stood up and stomped on it. While it prevented any further electric treatment he was hit a few times. However, in the end they left him alone.

Off and on the captain woke up anyway. Surely Mike was going to come back for him. They had to get out of here. Mike wouldn't do something like this.

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Soldiers began to pour out of the ship. Andy shoved the gun into the top part of her pants. "We need to get out of here." She had no idea where they would go since the soldiers were approaching from the side of the mine. "Is there an attic or someplace we could go?"
 
"Yes! Upstairs!" Timo exclaims. While they had been resting he'd gotten ansy and started exploring the house.
"Its our only option. Let's go." Star grabbed Timo's hand while Andy and Kato followed close behind. They hurried up the stairs and looked around.
"Where's the attic, Kid?" Star asks.
"Back here." He rounds the balcony, leading them to a foldable staircase.
"Perfect. Everyone inside." Star waits at the bottom of the steps for everyone to get up top, then follows herself. She grabs the rope and pulls the stairs back up so they folded into the ceiling. Downstairs they heard the soldiers break down the doors and yell orders. "Find a spot to hide." Not that she needed to say that as they already were. Kato gestured for Timo to get into an old hope chest. He was the only one small enough to fit. He covered it with and old sheet then found a corner and hid beneath a covered table.
Star took a spot behind a mirrored divide, pulling an old blanket up over self. This was a bad situation. Hopefully the soldiers wouldn't be thorough.
 
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"Search the house." Andy started to look about the room as she heard the call. There wasn't really anywhere good left to hide. Mumbling under her breath she tip toed as quickly as she could through the room and over to the wall where several old coats were hung on hooks with old shoes underneath them. Scrunching behind one of the coats she pulling her arms next to her torso the musty old coat covered her on either side.

One soldier pulled the rope and let the staircase down. Coming to the top of the stairs he fired off clearing shots at approximately three feet from the floor. There wasn't any sound and the house seemed to be empty. Wandering back down the stairs he nodded to the men and they started out the back door toward the hills. The ship lifted off the ground and flew overhead.

It grew quiet and Andy waited almost holding her breath. That was until the sound of the ship returned and more feet came into the house. Squeezing her eyes shut she waited for the worst to come.

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The sound of an escaped prisoner rang out through the camp. Mike flew out of his bunk. Grabbing a gun he made sure it was loaded and charged out. He knew exactly where the captain would go. Back to Star. That was easy enough to guess. With the woman around the captain had become much easier to track in many ways. A certain level of uncertainty had left Killian and that was a good thing.

Many of the other soldiers had begun scanning the area heading straight toward the mountains or for rebel army lines. A smirk came to Mike's face. He knew it was going to be the shipyard. Taking a shortcut between tents he saw a big man headed right for a cruiser. That was exactly what the captain said he was going to get. "Freeze!" Of course Killian wasn't going to stop so he had no choice but to shoot.

Killian paused momentarily. It was just long enough to look over his shoulder and then try to dart behind a crate. He was going to have to make this fast. Mike already knew where the girls were. A sharp burning pain started in Killian's leg and it seemed to spread with each step to more of his leg. Limping heavily he tried to make it around the crate and then the impact of another hit got him right between the shoulders. Breathing heavily the captain drug his one leg behind himself. Wincing he gripped at the crate to keep balance. Gradually it turned black and he swayed unevenly on his feet before hitting the ground.

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Mike landed the ship just outside the little cabin. Holding the gun ready he stepped just inside the door and silently scanned. "Damn...." Whispering under his breath he started searching the house a little more carefully. "Star? Timo? Kato? Andy?" As he called out their names he heard a little bit of shuffling begin. Instead of exploring further he waited for the onslaught of company that he knew would come to greet him. The first as usual was Timo. "Hi there." Ruffling the boy's hair he peered into his face. "I got a ship and we need to go now."
 
Timo wrapped his arms around him. "Where's Killian!? Is he flying the ship?"
Star was wondering the same as she came down the steps. It seemed strange that Killian wouldn't come in to retrieve them himself, but maybe he was injured. She wanted to ask questions but knew that would just delay them. She ushered Andy and Kato past her, out the door and to the ship. Then she smiled at Mike as she put a hand on his good shoulder. "I knew you guys would get it. Nice job." She hurries past him into the ship, calling for Killian as soon as she was inside.
 
Mike shook his head at Timo. "No he's not flying the ship." Before the boy could ask anymore questions Star had come down the stairs. Disappointment was clearly written on her face. Opening his mouth he was about to say something to Star when she rushed into the ship. "Well c'mon then." Motioning to the rest of them Mike had them follow him into the ship.

The others were eager to get into the ship and leave. Mike could hear Star calling for Killian. "He won't be answering. At least not for now. We need to get out of here first." Cradling his injured arm he nodded to the navigation panel. "Star would you run it. My arm won't last and I don't think I can react fast enough to get us out of here. You got Andy to help you, Timo and I will be going to the engine room. We'll talk about what happened once we get out of here."

Flying the ship out of the planet seemed to come with relative ease. Either no one had reported the missing ship or it wasn't considered a loss yet. Mike emerged from the engine room once he got the message over intercom that they were on the route along the borders. Until they made modification to the ship they would be targeted by anyone from the rebellion. Clearly, Star was concerned about Killian and Mike glanced at her and then away feeling half guilty. "Follow me and bring the doctor." In the room Killian was laying on his side in a bed. Next to it was a little tray with two darts.

"I think it was just tranquilizer. Took two of them to stop him." Mike held one of them up for Kato to observe. "Couldn't have him running about like that. Someone was going to put a real bullet in the captain." Taking a deep breath he waited for Kato to give them some sort of idea what it was that he hit Killian with. It was the only gun that he trusted from the arsenal sitting on the table in the barracks.
 
"What, why?" Star demands, but there was no time for answers. Star sat down at the navigation panel. She'd flown a few ships in her life. Not many...but enough to know the basics of what she was doing. She directed Andy and took them out into the sky and away from the planet that had nearly claimed their lives many times in their short few days of being there. The entire time her heart was clenched. What happened with Killian? Why wasn't he available? Was he gravely injured? All these questions flooded her, threatening to break her concentration. Finally they are a safe distance away and with an approximate course charted she sets the ship on autopilot. She had to admit, it was a very nice ship. Much larger and roomer than the last and with upgraded materials.

She leapt out of her chair and caught Mike who had her grab Kato and follow him to what she assumed was the Captain's quarters. It was massive, compared to the previous accommodations. She rushed to Killian's side upon seeing him, putting a hand on his cheek. Kato took a blood scanner and pricked the man's finger, observing the results. "It seems they were just regular tranquilizer darts. Considering his size and metabolism, I expect he'll come to in a couple hours. He may be dizzy and have some nausea so it'll best to have him remaining lying down for at least 20 minutes after he awakes."

In truth Kato was equally disappointed and grateful that Killian had returned. Dissapointed because it still meant Star was unavailable and the main would continue to run the crew with his questionable ethics. Grateful though, at the same time, because he knew the pain it would have caused Star had he not returned. And, as much as he hated to admit it, they needed a man like Killian leading them, if they were going to survive.

Kato looked up at Mike. "Is there anything else I should know about what happened that may have affected either of your health? Speaking of which, I'd like to take a look at your arm as well, while we have time."
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Star fell asleep in the chair next to Killian's bed, her head resting on the pillow by his own head. She'd found supplies in the kitchen with which to cook everyone a proper meal and then had immediately returned to his side. She felt him shift and immediately raised her head as he began to wake up. "Hey...finally, you're awake. How are you feeling? Doc said you may be dizzy and nauseous so just take it easy for a bit."
 
The doctor would naturally want to know if there was anything else he should be aware of. Mike shrugged. "Captain probably hit is head going down. I wouldn't worry about it. Hard as a rock. Speaking of which I hit him in the head too." He smiled easily knowing that he hadn't shot Killian with anything more serious than a tranquilizer dart and that he hadn't overdosed the captain on it. Shaking his head he looked at the doctor. "Yeah I know you're going to do the eye thing right? It's got to be a nifty implant." Gadgets like that were always fascinating little things and being able to have inbuilt scanners was next to miraculous. "How much does it cost to get those?"

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Killian felt like his stomach was on a pendulum. He didn't remember getting to a bed. Wriggling a little closer to the edge of the bed he opened his eyes in time to see Star and shake his head. For now he didn't dare open his mouth. Turning the other way he leaned over the bed and started to dry heave. There wasn't anything in his stomach to puke but, it wasn't a good feeling anyway. Flopping back onto the bed he closed his eyes and then answered. "I feel sick." Pulling at the edge of the pillow he tried to get it over his face and pulled a little to hard. Killian's head hit the bed and the whole pillow came a bit faster than he anticipated. The lack of coordination with first waking up from a tranquilizer left his reactions a bit slow and he lost grip so it looked more like he threw the pillow behind himself. "Well crap." Instead Killian settled with pulling the blanket up over his head.
 
Kato nods. "It has been quite useful. This particular procedure, I believe, cost approximately 350,000 credits." He says. "In fact I have been thinking about your injury. There is a possibility that you could regain use of it with corrective implants. However the procedure would be quite expensive."

***
Star stood and returned the pillow to his bed. "I'll get you some medicinal tea then leave you to rest." She hurries off for the tea passing by Timo who was plastered by the window, looking at the view. The lounge here was connected to the kitchen on the left and the dining area (large enough for 10 men) on the right. She liked this kitchen a whole lot better. The layout was much more comfortable and efficient. She prepared some tea and brought it back to Killian who was still hiding beneath the covers. "I'm glad you both returned saftley." She says, setting the tea on the bedside table and leaving him to rest.
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"Star..." Star looked up from her seat in the lounge as Kato approached her. At the moment she was alone with him while others explored different areas of the ship. He takes a seat beside her, that regular stoic expression on his face. "I wanted to apologize...for last week. I was on some heavy medication, I wasn't thinking about what I was saying." He looks down at his hands. "I hope I did not leave a negative impression on you."
"I understand, Kato. You were worried. In fact, I'm glad you brought some of those things up, because you were right. We were stepping on some lines that weren't meant to be crossed. I told Killian as much and he handled it very well. So, you do not have to worry anymore about our morals being compromised unless the situation is desperate."
"I see...and...your relationship, then?" He asks cautiously.
"We're dating...and, we'll see where it goes." She shrugs then smirks. "Still no under the cover action, if that's what you're concerned about."
For the first time since she met him, Kato blushed and sat back, looking awkward and perhaps even disturbed by a topic that normally he seemed to have no problem with. A light went off in Star's head. "Kato...were you...?"
He stands suddenly. "I'm sorry. I uh, I'm going to get on our medical supply." He hurries off before she finishes her question. Star watches him go, just now putting together all the tiny hints he'd left for her. Oh Kato...I'm sorry.
***
Killian felt a weight land on his bed. When he pulled the covers down from his face to glare at the intruder he was confronted by Timo who was staring down at him. "Killian! How long are you going to sleep!? This ship is awesome! You have to come see it!"
 
Kato was his usual self when describing the implants. Sounded like they very expensive. Taking in a breath he shook his head. "Well now that is a little expensive. How much would it be for the arm." Personally he was thinking that it would be considerably less. Eyes were smaller and far more complicated in which to do a surgery. Then of course he would have a reduced price because they already had a doctor and the surgery cost would be less as well. Everyone knew that a hospital was outrageous in price so he figured it would come down to a more reasonable sounding number. It was still far from cheap. "That's what it would cost if you did it?" Spluttering he shook his head. "What if we stole the parts you needed?"

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Killian gave grunt from under the covers when Star returned with the tea. He was too tired yet to feel like even drinking. After a few minutes he did muster the energy to poke his head out of the covers and grab the mug. After two sips he shuddered and returned it to the night stand. It looked like Star had returned his pillow to the bed so he pulled it under the covers with himself and went back to sleep. Gradually the reeling in his stomach subsided and his head went from a constant spinning to a throb. The bed was much larger than his last one and the mattress wasn't nearly as worn. In fact he couldn't feel any of the springs or the frame that he was laying on. There was probably enough room for two people on this bed.

Now that he was feeling a little better he pushed the covers down and put one arm over them. Just as he was ready to doze off again he felt the bed shake. Sitting up he glared at Timo. "I was going to sleep for the whole damn day." That didn't seem to go very far since the boy kept insisting on exploring. "Come back and get me in half an hour."

Half an hour didn't feel like anytime had passed at all. Killian sat up in the bed again and squinted at the boy. "Alright lets go." It was probably a good idea to get the tour done so he could have an idea of where each crew member's room should be. Killian barely finished running around the room with the boy when he decided to stop in the kitchen. "I'm gonna go sit down for a while." A certain look crossed the boy's face and the captain stopped. "What is it?" Apparently the boy wanted to talk with him when it was just the two of them."

"Ok." Killian let Timo decide where they were going to sit for this little talk. "What do you want to ask me?"

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Star had begun by inspecting the smaller workings of the ship. It was all in top working condition. This was more of the kind of ship she had grown accustomed to working on all those years in the shop. Being on the inside was fun. Since none of them had anything terribly personal left she figured it couldn't hurt to go exploring all the rooms. Finally she came to the captains room and peered inside. He wasn't in there so she snuck in to have a peek.
 
"What if we stole the parts you needed?"
"Stole?" Kato looked uncomfortable with that idea. "Well, I...I suppose you could, however, I don't have very much expertise in actually implanting...implants. It would be wiser to get the money then pay for the entire procedure with someone who is experienced."

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Timo bit his lip nervously as they sat down in the lounge. "Um...I..." He looked down at his knees. His expression was like that of someone who was about to share a terrible secret. "I don't want to be a smuggler anymore." He winced, expecting some sort of blacklash for the comment. After all Killian had done for him, taken him in and cared for him, now he was telling the Captain he didn't want to be one anymore. He felt horrible about it, but at the same time... "I don't want to watch my friends getting hurt anymore." He tries to explain. His reasoning in the simplicity of a child.

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Star pulled open the closet to the former captain, blanching at his choice preference. Every single one of the outfits was either some variation of Captain's uniform or dressing gown. How boring. She pulled one out. She'd never worn a Captain's uniform before. She grins and pulls it off the hanger, taking it to the bathroom. A minute later she emerges, wearing the blue and white outfit, complete with a Captain's hat. She grins at the mirror. The outfit was two sizes too big but it was still fun. She's have to show Timo and Mike. They'd get a kick out of it. Probably not so much Killian.

Moving away from the closet she began snooping through the dresser, looking around for anything interesting/usable/sellable. Oh good...underwear. A person always needed underwear...even if it was used. And socks too.
 
Mike just shook his head. "Eh, I'm sure you could do it. How else does a person get experience?" He was just himself when it came to these sort of things. The man didn't see reason to get all weird about it. "Tell you what. I'll give it some thought and let you know what we decide." That was the best for now. It hadn't taken much to figure out that Kato was still uncomfortable with the idea of the way they had all lived for some time. "By the way I've been meaning to ask you. How did you decide to work with smugglers? What sort of crime did you commit?"

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Hearing Timo's words was a bit of a surprise. It really shouldn't have been considering the fact that the boy had seen the worst of it in many ways. Killian waited for a long moment before he answered. "Anything else you wanna say?" The boy almost seemed to fidget nervously when he finished out with his explanation of why he didn't want to be a smuggler anymore. Glancing down at their feet Killian noticed how Timo's legs were swinging along. He remembered when he was short enough to sit on a bench and do that. It had been a long time.

With a slight raising of one eyebrow he shook his head. "Well that's your choice. I don't want to be a smuggler anymore either." This was likely the best time to say something to the boy about their future plans. "We're gonna stop off at one of the neutral territories to modify the ship. Then we're going to try and make an escape into one of the other systems. Probably head for Chippequot. Its closer than the others and I think it'll get us out of trouble." Killian watched the boy's face for any kind of reaction and it appeared to be mostly relief. "When we get there I'm gonna see if there is some kind of work that I can do and we'll live in a real house." That was about all the better he could describe it for now. "Maybe I'll have you go to school. No work for you till your older eh? What is it you wanna do anyway?"

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Eventually Killian left the boy sitting where he was and started to wander back toward his room. He wanted to go back to bed for a little bit. When he got there Star was standing in a ridiculous looking outfit. One that Killian would never wear and it wouldn't fit him anyway. It was so strange that he found almost no one his size. Always had to buy his things custom. Last he'd worn something that size was almost 10 years ago. Then he saw the undergarments laid out on the bed. "Huh...Well I'm not wearing those. I'd rather go free under the pants at night and wash my shorts then. Besides those are too small. You wanna cut the circulation off?" Sometimes he wondered how women just assumed that smaller clothing meant you just sucked your gut in and dealt with it. Killian hated wearing something smaller than it should be. "No I'm not wearing them." Somebody else already put their smelly junk in those shorts and he didn't want to share.

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Killian spent his day pouring over the charts after he had his moment of disgust. Maybe they were better to just make a run for the Chippequot system. The gate wasn't far off and though it didn't work that meant that they could possibly fix it. They would avoid getting into any fire fights. Even on neutral territory it was getting to be risky. Typing the coordinates into the navigation system he watched it scan the path. It was all clear. "Alright." Finding the buttons to check systems was a little more complicated then it had been on his old ship. Finally a little hand reached out and pushed the button for him. "I would have found it." Giving an indignant response he looked up at Star. "Anyway we're going to make a run for the gate. Maybe there will be enough time to see if I have what it takes to fix the thing. I don't want to stick around or try landing at neutral territory. We've got enough fuel to make it."
 
"By the way I've been meaning to ask you. How did you decide to work with smugglers? What sort of crime did you commit?"
Kato blinked at Mike. "I committed no crime." The man looked confused so he proceeded with an explanation. "I lived on that planet most of my life. My father owned a clinic in the center of the city. We helped many people, most of them gang affiliated. It didn't matter to my father. He wanted to help as many lives as he could, as did I. I would listen to him talk to the men and women he helped, trying to convince them to leave the gangs and start a better life. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. He passed on a few years ago and I took over the clinic, trying to preserve his legacy. Only...I didn't exactly have the same sort of...charisma...that he did. A few days before your crew landed in port, one of the most powerful gang lords in the area was brought to my clinic with a lethal wound. He died on my table, but I convinced them he was simply in a coma and put him in stasis. I knew it was only a matter of time before they came after me for the deception so I looked for the first ship off the planet. And that was this one."
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"When we get there I'm gonna see if there is some kind of work that I can do and we'll live in a real house." That was about all the better he could describe it for now. "Maybe I'll have you go to school. No work for you till your older eh? What is it you wanna do anyway?"

A real house. It sounded almost too good to be true. Timo's eyes lit up at the prospect of that and going to school. "I want to be like Captain Kirk." He exclaims. "I want to explore and meet new people and aliens! I want to lead my own crew and help save people." Somehow the boy hadn't taken into account that his desire in that way was still risky, and there was still a chance of watching people he loved get hurt; though perhaps, less of a chance. Still, why ruin his dream...except to give him a taste of reality?
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Star laughed heartily at Killian. He hadn't seemed to have caught on that she was cruely teasing him. "Aw, c'mon. Who knows how long its gonna be till we get to the next safe station. You need more than two pairs of underwear." She crosses her arms nodding seriously, before breaking out into giggles again. She couldn't help herself. His disgusted expression was too funny. Finally she relents and puts the personal articles back into the drawer. As she did, her hand bumped into a hard object. She pulled it out of the drawer. It was a ring box from the looks of it. Her eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder in shock. Killian had gone to the bathroom and didn't see. Her fingers trembling she opened it. It was beautiful ring. With an ornate silver band and a small heart-shaped diamond. She gasped and closed the box as quickly as she'd opened it. When had he found the time to get that? While she'd been in the coma? Some time after that? It didn't make sense, they hadn't even been serious yet. They were still barely serious.

The toilet flushes and she shoves the ring box back into the drawer, closing it quickly as the door opens. Her face was flushed and she probably looked like she'd swallowed a frog. He questioned her and she shook her head, forcing a smile and responding awkwardly, "Nothing! Nothing's wrong. All good. I'm gonna...I'm gonna go cook something." She rushes from the room, trying to calm her breathing. What the heck!? He's never even come close to showing that level of affection. He's never even said, "I love you." Her mind suddenly recalls that one moment, when they had been outside the secret room. He'd said he had all he wanted right in front of him. Was that his version of a confession? He was terrible at romance and the like...but...still. She tries to calm her panicked mind by cooking, burning things at least twice before finally making a decent meal.
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It was evening before she felt calm enough to enter into Killian's presence again. She still didn't know what to think or what she should say if he randomly asked the question. Part of her hoped he would, a greater part of her hoped he wouldn't for a long while. She wasn't ready to be committed to him at that level. She comes up behind Killian as he struggles to figure out the newer gadgets of the ship's controls. At this rate he threatened to explode the engines. She smirks and presses the appropriate button for him at which he gives her one of his cute frustrated/annoyed looks. "Anyway we're going to make a run for the gate. Maybe there will be enough time to see if I have what it takes to fix the thing. I don't want to stick around or try landing at neutral territory. We've got enough fuel to make it."
"Just you me and the crew in a new system, eh?" She smiles lightly. He looks over at her and she looks away, blushing widely. CALM DOWN STUPID HEART! She busied herself at the computer, looking through the ship's system logs. "Let's do it then. It'll be a relief to be away from this war."
 
When Killian came out of the bathroom Star was acting very strangely. He had no idea what it was about either. "What did you do?" Her response didn't really sound all that convincing. So once she left he started to dig through the room. Nothing terribly interesting came up. So instead he went about his work. Eventually Star came by and she was still looking guilty. "Uh huh a relief to be away from the war for sure." Turning in his chair he faced her. "You still look guilty. What the heck did you do to my room?" He was sure there was a booby trap of some kind in there. "I tore it apart earlier and I haven't found what you did. Is it something in the bed?" No matter how much he questioned her it seemed to get worse. "Never mind. I'll know who to look for when it happens." Grumbling under his breath he sat back and waited for them to come up on the stargate.

A little red light came on and he stared at it for a moment before he slowly followed the directions to get the ship to slow down. "So many damn lights on here." It was slightly complicated and he didn't like that.

Mike came into the room to see that the stargate was within view. He held his breath for a moment. "You do know that this gate is broken. It's been broken for decades. Since before I went into the war by a few years. Actually nobody's sure when it last worked." This was one of the times he felt nervous. Their captain was so self confident some days that it was next to getting them killed. "Do you think you can repair it or something?"

"Yes." Killian turned and looked at Mike. "Of course I can."

The older man threw his hands in the air. "Because you're the.....Oh good lord the gate works." Mike stared at the gate in wonder. It activated as they got closer and then he grew worried. "You know rumor had it that the gate only opens on this side if there is an alien body. I wonder what the heck we got ourselves into. There's got to be something on this ship. We'd better start searching." Maybe the Alliance had kept an old body stored on the ship or they were planning on expanding their territory into the next system. There had been talk of it at one point.

Hearing the word alien had Killian nearly ready to turn around. That was what they were going into though. Alien territory. So hopefully if they had an alien of some kind on the ship it would be a friendly one. "Alright everyone start a search of the ship. I'm going to bring this into the nearest planet and we'll do what we can from there." Poor Timo was likely to find out that his dream of exploring could be interesting in a bad way. Killian almost felt bad for the kid.

Only a few hours later Mike returned and they had not found anything yet. What if the ship had a secret compartment and they were keeping the alien body locked in there? "Well we're out of time to find it. Coming in for landing and I've got contact."

"Identify yourself." A raspy voice sounded over the speaker. Mike blinked a few times. It sounded very similar to the captains voice and he wondered if it was a system that identified persons and used their own identity so that they would be less likely to panic.

Killian frowned. "Captain Killian."

"From which system?"

Again Killian responded and then it grew silent. He turned toward Mike and Star. "What the hell. Have any of you seen this kind of protocol before?" He'd never seen it but, he'd been on the streets all his life and he didn't know what kind of thing to expect from a civilized station. Then the voice came over the speaker again and gave them permission to land. Cautiously Killian brought the ship down and he let the back door open as requested.

A flood of soldiers entered and they paused. Everyone froze in place. Killian gaped at the men. "W-w-w..." He couldn't even get the words out. It was almost like looking in the mirror. Almost all of the soldier were browned, had dark hair, and then shocking green or blue eyes. An occasional soldier had violet eyes or gray.

Mike stared at the soldiers and then back to Killian again. He couldn't believe it. All these years he just figured that Killian was a large man. Maybe he was still a man....a different race perhaps? The silence broke as Andy rushed in and yelped. "Aaah! Oh my gosh." Working her way a little closer she peered at Killian's face. "You're an alien!" It was almost too much to take in.

Being called an alien wasn't necessarily a good thing. The captain looked down at Andy. "Uhh...I don't know." Now that the moment was passed the soldiers asked him to identify himself again and they promptly ordered the group out of the ship and ushered them into a large room with massive furniture. It actually fit Killian quite nicely and seemed to be slightly too big for the rest of them. All his life he'd gotten used to being the big person and now he felt out of place. His entire crew was giving him a look as if he should have known and he didn't.
 
Aliens. There were many things in this world Star didn't mind experiencing or finding. Aliens was not on in the list. She'd be perfectly happy to never meet one. They could stay on their side of the universe and she'd stay on her's. Only now they were searching the shop for one. When the gate activated Mike just had to mention that there were probably aliens on the other side. Killian had about the same reaction she did. But what choice did they have. If they stayed on this side of the gate, the chances of them being caught and killed were exponentially higher. Hopefully they wernt jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

She sat tensly in the chair as Killian responded to the familiar voice on the other side of the radio. They didn't sound hostile at least, but who knew what sort of situation they were getting themselves into. When they opened the door to the ship, everyone was on edge and...they saw them. Humans...but clearly od a far different race than any of them had met before. Each and everyone of them the size of killan with his same color scheme amd some of the same facial build as well. They could practically be family and then Andy said the most schocshocking thing.

Star looked over at him in shock. An alien...no way! She'd kissed him, teared his wounds. He was human....and yet...
Timo, unlike everyone else was overly thrilled with this situation. He ran around the massive room they were in, exploring everything. Then he ran straight up to Killian, leaning on his knees and searching his face. "Are you really an alien?"

Star sat on the huge couch across from him, not knowing what to say or even think or feel. This was all just too much.
 
Killian was still trying to wrap his brain around this. There were a few times that he'd done things people weren't supposed to be able to do. Up till now he'd always figured it was blind luck or something. An alien? It was such a strange concept and he didn't like that idea. Timo was entirely pleased with the setting and for now it was better. At least the boy hadn't thought of what could happen to them all. This situation was precarious at the least. The sudden little hands on his knees made Killian jump. Peering into the boy's face in return he shrugged. "Do I look like one?" A vigorous nod was all the better an answer he got out of that. In a way Killian had hoped that the boy didn't consider the race they just ran into as aliens, but he was obviously wanting them to be aliens. Sighing he answered the boy, "Then I must be an alien."

Reaching up with his hands he lowered his head and covered his face. Right now all he wanted was to just go hide somewhere. Anywhere sounded better than having to endure the stares of the crew. Finally he couldn't handle it anymore and he stood up. "Just because we found out I'm an alien doesn't change anything and quit staring at me like that!" Killian wandered over to another seat where the crew would have to work harder to see him at. Mumbling under his breath he reached under the chair and turned it so that he had his back to them.

The outburst drew Mike out of his semi-trance. All this time he'd been around an alien and didn't even know it. Suddenly a smile split his face and he started to laugh. Getting here had been completely ironic. Gate was activated by an alien and nobody would have dreamed that the alien was the captain himself. Then the sheer shock of the entire thing had left all of them speechless including their alien captain who ironically thought he was human. Now it was all making sense. As a boy everyone would have thought him older for his height and build. Years passed and he was easily recognized wherever he went. It was the difference that everyone had accepted and simply assumed was abnormal human traits that must have resulted from large parents. More than likely his parents were large by human standards. Mike settled further into the couch and found his feet couldn't quite touch the ground. He wasn't short for a man so it was a strange feeling. However, he'd never remembered running into any others like Killian either so there had to be reason that he was there.

Andy's legs almost stuck straight out when she sat on the chair. Being short and then sitting in a massive sofa really didn't help. She kept trying to reason her way through it. At the end she finally understood what Killian half yelled out of frustration. While it wasn't expected she'd never thought of the fact that it was probably strange for him to. It shifted his self identity quite a bit if he wasn't human. For herself she could say with certainty that it didn't change her past. There wasn't any special discovery that would alter her person. Getting up she decided to start exploring with Timo.

Picking up one of the table centerpieces she turned it around in her hand a few times. "What do you think this is?" Handing it to the boy she reached for the next one. It was a strange sort of wood or metal that she'd never seen before. Beautiful and odd. Everything here had a certain exquisite nature to it though there was also a wildness to. Peering out the window at the city again she shook her head. Right in the middle of the city vines grew and seemed to take on their own life.

Finally after what felt like forever a man came into the room and looked at the crew and then Killian. "We will need a blood sample to match our on file database." The blue eyed soldier approached with a large syringe.

Killian stared at him. "The hell you do. I've never been here!" Turning the chair toward the man he then stood up and thought about resisting but, it would probably do more harm than good for the crew. Reluctantly he offered his arm and watched while the man drew the sample of blood and then he just stared at the screen connected to the syringe.

After several minutes the man nodded. "We will move you to more acceptable quarters soon." Looking at the rest of the crew he the glanced back to Killian. "They will move with you as well?"

Nodding Killian met the man's gaze and then quickly added a question. "What was that all about?"

"Confirming your identity Killian Laulorin. Your uncle and brother will want to meet you. I'm sure they have many questions about the Heuth system." Abruptly he turned and left ignoring the laughter from the captain. The man was completely lacking of manners.

Killian almost snorted. A brother? He never had a brother or uncle or any family at all. This was absurd. Maybe he would take to exploration with Timo or go back to smuggling or the war. Something that wasn't half so complicated. The snort grew to laughter. Taking a seat in his chair again he turned a full circle in it a few times before getting up and walking over to where Star was. Perhaps she had acted strangely since she came to his room because she found out? It didn't make sense but, she was still acting distant. "Why do you act like this makes me different? If you never found out would it have really changed anything?"
 
Star looks up at him. Her mind raced to put words to what she was feeling right now. "Killian, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you think that I feel differently or that this changes things." She pats the seat beside her and takes his hand. They looked down both probably thinking the same thing as her small pale hand was engulfed in his massive dark hand. She smiles up at him. "This doesn't change how I feel about you, hear me? So what if...you're supposedly an...an alien. Its not like you're that much different from a human. Unless you've got some weird non-human traits down below I should know about." She jokes nervously, tightening her grip on his hand.

"But I think both of us are going to need some time to figure out how this affects things. Especially now that...that you have family apparently." No doubt there are some girls here who are so much better suited for him. What then? She worries her bottom lip, lost in thought. Should I mention that I saw the ring...or...or give him the chance to choose someone else if he finds someone better? The thought was to painful to dwell on. Can I even be a good girlfriend to someone of another species...can he be good boyfriend for me? What if we're too different after all?
 
Taking a seat next to Star he glanced down at her little pale hand. It was so small in comparison. Something that he'd rarely thought of as a problem. Most women were small compared to him and he had grown used to it. Star was just making it all seem like such a big deal now. Glancing up at her face he kept a plain expression. The halting words coming out of her mouth seemed to indicate a lot more change that what she was willing to admit. The nervous chuckle only made him frown. "Well I don't think physical compatibility is going to be an issue. You've still got the uh...corresponding part to a stick."

Apparently it wasn't the only concern that Star had. She was worried about the family. Killian shook his head. "They're not family. I don't care if my blood says so. There is no family." He didn't even want to meet them but, it didn't seem that he was going to get a chance. "My family is the one I make and they're not part of it Star. I've never met these people."
 
She flushed brightly at his analogy but nodded as he continued. "Yeah, but...that could change. Who knows...maybe they end up being alot like you. I know...I would want to get to know them if they were my family." She stares at her knees. Her truest concern she couldn't voice...it was too vulnerable to admit that there was likely a girl here he'd like far better than herself. If that were the case and she tried to force him to remain with her, neither of them would be happy. She looks back up at him with a strained smile and pats his arm. "This is an incredible opportunity for you to learn more about yourself, Killian. However long you want to stay, we're all with you."
 
Killian let go of her hand. "I told you I don't want to meet them. If they were your family it would be your choice." In many ways he wished he hadn't come here. Being a human and smuggler was much easier to handle than this. "We're leaving as soon as they let us." It was only a few minutes later and the door opened again. A large man with thick auburn hair and violet eyes scanned the room till they fell on the one he was to call nephew. Behind him another man stood. This one had the same black hair and blue eyes instead.

Both of them approached and then the one with auburn hair smiled. "My sister's youngest." Holding his arms out as if he were ready for a hug he waited for some kind of response. Instead the nephew just stared at him with cold eyes. "I'm your mother's brother. Don't your remember anything of your parents?" No one had known what happened when the woman and her husband had left all those years ago. They had gone out as part of a delegation to speak with the Alliance in the Heuth system and never returned.

"No." Killian left the answer as short as possible. "I grew up in the streets. Raised by a whore till I was old enough to walk and then she kicked me out." Standing slowly he stood till he nearly touching the next man's face. "My crew and I left the Heuth system because of war. We're going to settle wherever is considered suitable. I don't need anything besides directions."

The man seemed somewhat taken aback. Still he nodded graciously. "You're parents had a second estate for you. I will sign the paperwork to have it released to you." He searched the wild green eyes for some kind of hint and was greeted with no form of familiarity. "I wish you could simply settle, it is a matter of concern to the council. Any account that you may give will be required. If you do not wish to speak in front of them I may make other arrangements." Handing a pen and paper to Killian he took himself to one of the other chairs. "Write...." He had a feeling that the nephew wouldn't want to talk and he didn't want him to. Killian was not at all like his parents and far from soft spoken.

Staring at the paper with frustration Killian pushed it away. "I only know numbers." Walking the paper back to the man and pen he thrust it toward him.

Taking the paper and pen quietly he tucked them back into their place in his robe. "Then I will leave you for the evening." As he started for the door the younger man turned toward Killian and narrowed his eyes.

****************************************************************************

Shortly after the visitors left Killian and the crew were shown to a new set of rooms. In the center was a large living room and off to the sides of it were several doors. It was almost like a honeycomb. The captain sat in the main room until late. He stared at the flames listlessly.

A knock sounded on the door and then a woman stepped in. She smiled and made her way confidently over to the sofa and sat down next to Killian. Her dark hair and green eyes almost looked like his own. It was evident that she was older. "Killian. Please....Your uncle and I want for you to live with us for a while. We have so much to learn about your home. The people you have lived among. We have been thinking of making settlements there. He told me you also have a number of Heuth system people with you. I want to meet them. They must be strange." Carefully she grabbed his hand. Rubbing the back of his hand gently she smiled. "Just think about it."
 
It hurt when Killian released Star's hand so suddenly and looked away. She sensed he was frustrated with her in addition to being frustrated with the entire situation. Apparently he hadn't liked the answers she'd given though she'd tried her best. She didn't know what to do except follow whatever decision he made, for now.
Kato observed her from across the room, watching the awkward exchange. He nearly frowned at Killian. The man was being overly cold to her. She needed as much reassurance as he did and he was sitting there getting on her case for trying to wrap her head around this new development. The all sat silently during the exchange with Killian's Uncle and brother. It was like being in a world of semi-giants.

****************************************************
She couldn't sleep the rooms were too big and her heart was too heavy. She'd never felt so unsure of herself in her life and had begun to wish she hadn't let herself become emotionally invested in Killian. Being here really did change things, as much as she hated to admit it. If they stayed here for any duration of time...Killian would change, whether for the better or for worse. Things were already changing. After tossing and turning for several hours she gets up. She heard a female's voice and cracked open the door, peering out. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but the older female was sitting uncomfortably close and stroking his hand, while he listened intently. Star closed the door, not willing to watch. Her fears were already starting.

****************************************************
Everyone was awoken to a loud commotion. People, whom she imagined were servants, strolled into the rooms opening up curtains and preparing for the day. One of the servants knocked on Killian's door and bowed when he opened it. "I am Torwin. I'll be your personal hand-servant for the duration of your stay. Whatever your need, simply ask and I'll provide it." He stood stiffly. "Your Uncle and his wife have requested you join them for the morning meal in the main hall in 20 minutes. They invite you bring along your crew as well that they might meet them. I can guide you as soon as you are ready."
 
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