Smugglers Cove (Love2write and Silence)

Killian returned to their room to think. He had to figure out what kind of logic there was behind these morals. If there were enough folk to follow this then there had to be some good answer. Star said religion and he hadn't thought she was the religious sort. So why would she adopt that kind of thought? His head still throbbed though currently he was more concerned with the thoughts that he had going. Laying back on the bed he let out a long breath. Was this moral thing the kind of person that Star wanted to be? Seemed that in some ways she'd changed though perhaps not. For the most part she'd always been a bit alarmed at his ideology when it came to life.

At last it felt like he hit the jackpot. Morals were about living with others as peaceably as possible. It was the only logical explanation for it. Perhaps he hadn't always aimed to be peaceable. Still it didn't change the fact that Claire needed to know a few things to protect herself and about ships. Ships she was allowed to learn about. Getting himself off the bed slowly he groaned a little. After all the walking around and standing his bones were hurting again.

Taking a seat at the table he glanced over at Star who was obviously trying not to look at him. Killian took a few bites and then decided to venture out on his thoughts. "You know there is a logical reason to your morals. Its kind of related to pacifism. Living peaceably as you can with those around you. I can't completely agree with that. Claire needs to know how to operate a ship and uh...defend herself. One time you said baby steps and that's where I'm at."
 
Star looks up at him. At least his comment meant he was thinking about it. "Its not really about peace Killian. Its about being the better person. Its about feeling good about yourself as a person, every time you come away from a morally difficult situation."
"The better person? I don't have to be better to feel good." Killian was finding himself frustrated with her logic, it didn't work.
"You don't feel sick every time you take a life or upset when you do something that you know hurts someone else? You don't feel happy whenever you protect your crew or love me?" Star asks.
That question made some sense and he frowned. "Depends on who I kill or hurt. Sometimes I feel relieved when I kill a person. Protecting the crew is just part of the deal when you run under me. Usually kept mutiny down and I had less trouble with the crew. Loving you is different. Even as irritated as you make me sometimes I still like you. If something happened to you I'd be sick to my stomach and yes, you make me happy."
"Well, that's how most people approach morals." Star takes a breath..."The thing about your conscious, Killian, is that the more you do horrible things, for whatever reason, the less you actually feel good or bad when you do the right or wrong thing. Me...I still feel it...very strongly. I get sick every time i have to kill someone, but my heart is soo happy when I can help people. Like those kids. I think, with you...your conscience has just become numb to being emotionally effected by the decisions you make. How you approach morals outside of that..." She shakes her head. "I...I don't know. I guess you just trust the people around you...like me or Mike until your conscience comes back.
Killian shook his head. "I-I uh...." He wanted to say he didn't get it or understand. Screw his ego and intelligence. It was better to look stupid than admit that he probably had killed off most of his conscience from a young age. Still it wouldn't work so he proceeded. "You already know I've done a lot of things. There isn't a damn way to fix that. I'm ruined or some kind of beast. What do you want me to do? Lie to you and say I never had a conscience? Of course I had one a long time ago and I killed it so I could survive."
Star puts a hand on his own. "So I guess the question is now, are you willing to get it back? We're not fighting for our lives anymore, Killian. We're building one...a better one. I need to know, you're the kind of man who wants to do the good and right thing...even if it takes a while to figure out what that is."
Glancing at her hand and then back up at Star he shook his head. "I can't. Even if I wanted to I can't do it. What about the raids and smuggling? Those are the only things I know how to do to make a living or get extra credits. You know I can't work transporting goods in honest work. Why would I want to work at getting my conscience back if I still smuggle, and raid?"
"So you can help teach our daughter the difference between right and wrong. So that you can make better decisions, even when you are smuggling or raiding. The kind of decisions where mass murder isn't even an option, no matter how logical. Many things are logical but not all of them are right. Why do you think I fight you on so many things?"

A smirk came to his face. "Because you like to be a pain in the ass. That's why you fight me." Letting out a sigh he finally nodded. "Alright, I'll do my best to try and think morally and logically."
"Are you saying that to get me off your ass or are you saying it cause you mean it?" She raises an eyebrow at him.
"Both." Killian looked at her and hoped it was good enough.
Star nods and smiles. "I'll take that. Now you'd better hurry up and compliment me on my cooking." She smirks.
Digging into the food he shoved another bite in his mouth and chewed it thoroughly and then swallowed. "I could eat so much it'd make me sick."He knew that wasn't quite what she was looking for, but it was fun to tease her.
Star rolls her eyes and shoves him playfully. She knew there was a reason she'd fallen in love with this man. Time would tell if it had been the right decision.
 
Killian frowned when she shoved him. It hurt. More than likely she forgot that his bones were still tender despite the fact that he had been up and around today. The next morning he woke up a little earlier than he had the day before. Star was still sleeping so he walked over to the window. Almost looked like snow with all the ash falling out of the sky and stirring up on the ground with the wind.

Heading toward the kitchen he found a large beetle that had found it's way into the house. It was almost the size of an average person's hand. Picking up the insect he opened the stove and put it inside. Eventually Star would find it there. Whether she discovered the creature because it was flying around in the oven trying to get out or because she opened it to put something in the oven this would be worth seeing. There were other little things he could do to make life more exciting as well. For fun he put a lock on the kettle cupboard. It was only a child lock and he suspected that it might take her once or twice to get it open cause they hadn't child proofed anything yet.

Finally he opened the spice cupboard and started to mix the arrangement of the spices up. None of these things were truly life threatening so much as they were a form of entertainment when one was cooped up inside a house. Besides it meant he would have to make up later and he was already thinking of a few things to make it up to her.
 
Star shuffled into the kitchen an hour later yawning and heading for the coffee maker. She tried to open the cupboard to get to the coffee, but someone had put some sort of weird lock on it. She groans as her half-awake mind tries to deal with it. Her face made a confused face at the buzz and smacking noise. "What the...?" She follows the noise to the oven and opens it. She screeched loud enough for the world to hear when that thing came flying out at her. "KILLLLIAN!!!!!!" She screamed running to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. "KILL IT!!! GET THAT THING OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
 
Killian sat down in the kitchen and rubbed his head gently. Everything was catching up from yesterday and he was contemplating going to bed when Star came out. A slight grin came to his face when she started to pull at the cupboard door. Her feeble attempts with the cupboard door almost enticed him to get up and help her, but then...she heard it. Leaning back into the seat he waited for her to discover the beetle. It had gotten restless as he suspected that it might. Just as the oven door opened the beetle swished out toward her face.

A little bit of a raspy laugh sounded and then he started coughing. All the ash was having a slight effect on his breathing though it was nothing to be concerned about. If the ash hadn't been falling since the night before last he would have considered sneaking outside. Star was still yelling from the bathroom and he coughed a little more. "I'll get it." Slowly he got up from the table and followed the beetle till it landed on one of the walls and he brushed it off then stomped on it. "Oooh...." Killian had momentarily forgot in that second that his leg was sore like everything else. A surge of pain ran through the limb and he winced. The floor had a bug guts for quite a ways. "Its dead you can come out now." Peeling the carcass off the floor he took it to the door and stepped outside with it.

Once he'd tossed the remains of the bug a distance from the house he stepped back inside. His hair was covered in the white ash as was his clothing. Killian started to strip at the doorway to get the ash off himself before tracking it through the house and he forgot about the bug guts for the time.
 
Star finally came back out of the bathroom, trembling from the adrenaline rush. "Did you get it?" She peers around the corner. Her answer is seen on the bottom of Killian's boot and the guts he was dragging across the floor, along with the ash in hair. "Oh, no...Killian you're getting it all over my clean floors! I just mopped!" She groans making him take off his boots and washed them in the sink. "How'd that damn thing get in my oven anyway? There's no pipes..." She grumbles as she washes off the bottom of the boot hands it back to Killian and goes about trying to mop up the mess he'd tracked in.

Later that afternoon when trying to cook she encountered her messed up cabinet. It finally clicks. Killian was restless and being mischievous again. He'd done it with their doors on the ship when he'd been stuck in bed with his leg. Now he was doing it again cause he was stuck in the house. She smirks and shakes her head. That man...she couldn't be mad at him for trying to entertain himself. But she could him a show for his troubles. She storms up to him in playful outrage. "KILLIAN! MY SPICES! WHY ARE YOU MESSING UP MY SPICES AND PUTTING BUGS IN MY OVEN! That's it, YOU are cleaning house for the next two weeks." Her look of outrage turns into immediate concern as he begins coughing again. Early she'd shrugged it off as a tickle in his throat. "Whoa, hey, you ok? You'd better not be getting sick after all the work we've done getting you this healthy." She put a hand on his arm and couldn't help noticing the severe limp as he walked. Well, severe for him at least. "Your bones still hurting?"
 
"I am not." Grumbling at Star he showed her the little pile of ash he shook off himself at the doorway. Then she pointed to his boots and he noticed the little gut trail from the hallway to the door from when he walked outside with it. "Ooooh." Peeling his boots off he let Star take them for the moment while he tried to get the ash out of his hair. With the ash in air he coughed a little bit and then took the boots back from Star. He couldn't help a little smirk when Star was wondering about the bug and he shrugged. "Who knows."

Killian settled down on the couch for a while. He figured that he would rather rest now and try to do something more exciting later. For the time his energy was frustratingly low and easily drained. The nap lasted a few hours and he suddenly woke when he heard Star yell his name. Scrambling off the couch he feigned surprise at her accusations though he couldn't say he was good at keeping the proud grin from spreading across his face. Owning up to putting a huge bug in the oven couldn't be that bad. Turning his head to the side he started coughing. Star suddenly changed her tune and he frowned at her. "Of course I'm fine." Walking toward the kitchen he figured he could get a few things to help clean up with. As nice as it was to have Star worried about him, he didn't like the fact that suddenly everyone acted like he was fragile. "Mmmhmmm." The bones hurt quite a bit and especially the leg he used to stomp the bug. "Got a little vigorous rescuing you from the beetle." Chuckling he glanced at her face and shook his head. "I always get the cough when my bones hurt. Probably don't breath deeply enough."

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The next appointment with Dr. Witteck was going to be on his planet. Killian couldn't help being excited at the prospect of getting out of the house and going somewhere. He had Star help him move a few things to the ship and Mike. By now he had most of his strength back and still a lingering cough though it wasn't as bad as it started. "You got everything you need for Claire?" There were so many bags of stuff that he wasn't sure that they weren't packing for month. "How much more stuff do you need? We might as well pack the oven in case the one on the ship decides to break. Its only for a week."

Still he found Star shoving 5 extra shirts at him. "Why do I need so many shirts?" Seemed that Star thought he would get puked or pooped on by the baby. "Hah! Not likely."
 
"Baby's need alot of care and attention, Killian. You've seen how many diapers we go through, right? Speaking of which, I don't think you've changed her once since she's been born. Well, that's changing." She smirks, pulling a few more shirts out of the drawer and putting them in his arms to pack. When he questioned her she sighed, "Because sometimes the baby poops or pukes and you aren't ready for it. Do you want to be stuck with just two stinky shirts to wear?" She gives him that eyebrow that dared him to retort and resumed her own packing.

They finally got on the ship and Star hugged Lisa goodbye. "We'll be back in a few days. Take care of things, yeah?"
"Of course!" Lisa chuckled and waved, then coughed into a cloth. Seemed like there was alot of coughing going around. Star followed Killian and Claire into the ship and few minutes later they were off. "Ah! Its so nice to be going off planet for a bit." She sighs as settles into a seat next to Killian. "Hey, whatever happened to that interstellar gate system you were trying to make?" She asks, holding Claire on her shoulder. The little one had already grown so much in short two months that they'd had her.
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XA-218. It was one of the few heavily fortified planets in the system where are all races interacted peacefully and where the masters didn't dare attack. Humans, Gillicks, Bippens, even a couple homeless Chippequoti and other races they didn't recognize came here to trade and look for work. Dr. Wittick owned a massive clinic in the middle of this city, though he preferred the occasional trip off world for a special client. Star couldn't help herself as they walked through the city, stopping at various shops and vendors, ooh'ing and aah'ing over various trinkets and items that would make their house more homey. Robots of all sorts wandered the streets performing various tasks for various masters, some going so far as to clean the street or play music for the potential customer.

"This place is awesome. We should definitely stay a few days." Star grins, holding Claire close.
 
Killian's eyes narrowed slightly. He may not refuse the extra shirts, but he wasn't cleaning diapers. No sooner had they started off and he finished his charting when Star decided to ask about the gate. "I'll get to it eventually. Not like I've had a lot of time to work on it." Most days recovering he'd spent sleeping. Now that his bones were done aching for the most part he was a slight bit more lively. Turning in the navigational chair he grinned. "Course is set and now we can...." He had to think of something to do. They weren't really in a position where there was much left. The ship was running dandy and Mike was probably huddled away in his room with one of the women. Mike had been more than willing to come if he could have company for it.

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When they finally landed Killian stepped off the ship with Star. Mike and his woman were already racing down the ramps and going to find something to spend their credits on. Seemed that the doctor's clinic was a ways in the city and they would have to walk for a bit. Star was making various pleased sounds of approval as she went through the city. Killian was looking for whatever they didn't have. If he could smuggle in a commodity that they needed...

Down an alley way Killian saw a man that sat quietly outside his house. A fellow met him and the two of them went inside. While they walked he watched for the other side of the alley and the second man left the house with a bundle under his arm. That was black market. If you knew what to look for they were easy to spot. It was exactly what Killian was interested in. The man from the house would have a list of commodities that he would pay dearly for and Killian intended to find out what he wanted for his clientele. Glancing over at Star he grinned and nodded. "Oh I agree. We need to stay here for a few days. Maybe do a little exploring and find out what else this city contains." It was almost like Smuggler's Cove. In a way that reminded him of home and he missed it. Killian couldn't help wondering how the war went. They had left through that gate and then the entire world got turned upside down.

Finally they reached the clinic and Witteck saw to Claire first. Happily he smiled and returned her to the parents. "Since you've come here we've found a few other Chippequoti. Most interesting race. Now we'll do the scan on the bones and see how you're healing." Clucking and shaking his head the doctor stared at the screen. "No more inflammation. What I don't understand is how you've got this strange layer over all the bones. I'll need a sample to see what it is. If it's dangerous we'll have to do some kind of therapy or cut you open and scrape every single bone."

Just the thought of scraping his bones made Killian want to cringe. He cringed at the idea of the doctor taking a sample. Killian rolled a sleeve up and let the doctor treat the area with an anesthetic. It still only went as deep as the soft tissue. "Oooh ow." Turning his head away from the doctor he tried to think about something besides his bone and the scraping sound. After what felt like forever he was finally told that the procedure was done.

"I was able to isolate the poison from some of the infection." The doctor swished the bloody needles in a jar of disinfectant. "Quite deadly. I've got this theory. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It's been my experience so far in studying your kind." Putting the thin layer from the bone over a tissue sample he treated it with the poison. "This is a warm environment that should accelerate the process like your body. I'll let you know tomorrow if the bone repels the poison or if it has become more permeable. If it is more permeable then..." Dr. Witteck stopped there for a moment. "It would have a fatal effect on your body. Maybe 10 years possibly 12."

Killian stared at the little sample in the test. "I'm not worried about it. Nothing we can do to change how it reacts." Personally he was more scared than he liked to admit. "C'mon Star." Grabbing the woman gently by her arm he started for the doorway. "We need to go have something to eat."
 
Star fed Claire while the doctor did the procedure on Killian. She listened intently as he talked and put Claire on her shoulder. The whole bit about the poison making him stronger was curious but then he mentioned the possibility that Killian only 10 years left to live."What? 10 years!?" She demands. Killian seemed overly casual about it and took her arm, leading her out. She was stressed out by the possibility that the poison could very well end up killing him. She let him guide them to a nearby diner, but was too concerned to eat much. She wanted to say something, but had no clue what to say. Her worry wasn't going to change the doctor's results. All they could do was wait and hope that Killian's body would be strong enough to repel the poison.
"You ok?" She finally asks. She knew by the way his brow furrowed ever so slightly and the way his eyes hadn't moved while looking at the menu that he was as bothered by the news as her.
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They both decided spending the night on the ship would be cheaper than renting a hotel room, as nice as that would've been. But they needed the credits. Star lay Claire down to sleep, tucking her fuzzy pink blanket closer around her body. She joins Killian on the bed, gently snuggling close to him, not wanting to hurt his bones or his arm. "We're going to get through this...just like everything else." She says softly, resting her head on his chest. "I know the doctor will find some sort of treatment if the poison is too strong for your body to handle."She turns her head to look up at him. "You're the strongest man I know. You'll be fine. You have to be fine."
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Star was up far earlier than Killian the next morning. She was already getting the day started with breakfast and dressing Claire. She wanted to get back to the clinic as soon as possible and find out the results. She goes to his side, as he still slept, and tapped his shoulder. "Time to wake up, Killian. Dr. Wittick should have the results soon."
 
The chaos of the streets was a welcome sight, noise, and atmosphere. Anything to drown the worry for a few minutes. Of course the doctor would tell them something like this just to prepare them for the possibility. Killian found a nice looking little diner and he chose a spot to sit. A few moments later a little robot put a menu in front of each of them. Picking the tablet up he flipped the first page and stared at it. All they had to do was tap once to see the food and twice to purchase then the robot would return and take the tablets. A cook would receive the order through direct link and it would all be done.

Killian hadn't moved from the first page and neither had he been able to focus enough to even know if he wanted to see any of the food before ordering. It was quiet for so long that he almost forgot Star was at the table with him. Setting the menu down he shook his head. "Not really. I don't like being Chippequoti, nothing I can change. Life was much less complicated when I thought I was a human and I had a pretty good idea that I would either die young in a raid or smuggling deal or I would live to be 50-60 before a disgruntled crew member killed me and took over the ship. Those were all acceptable ways to die. Then...Then I find out that I'm an alien and I'm probably going to live to be about 3-4 times that age. Now I might have 10-12 years." Picking the menu back up he started to scroll through it almost furiously. "Not that I wanted to die a smuggler...There has to be a constant somewhere. It's like having an unstable math equation. One number has to be the base for everything else and it has to stay consistent or you can't figure any other part of the problem."

Double tapping a meal he decided it looked as good as any other. Everything had changed and shifted and he was constantly being thrown into a situation where he had to be something else or he was and he didn't know it. Killian sighed. "That probably doesn't make sense to you."

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Staying in the ship was in some ways more comfortable. Killian hadn't said it aloud, but he didn't like the beds that weren't his. It was always better to be in his own bed whether it was on the ship or at home. In many ways the ship felt more like home than the house. At least the fact that they didn't have much for credits left had helped and Star readily agreed to stay on board.

Claire was put in her little crib and it was likely going to be only a few hours till the baby wanted to feed or started to cry because of something. The last few days the growing pains hadn't been quite as severe so there was some rest. As encouraging as Star was trying to be the man couldn't help smirking. "You know I'm not sure that's very strong. You don't know that many men." Moving her head some he peered into her eyes and sat up. Star flopped onto her side of the bed and he moved over top of her. It had been a while since he felt good enough to actually kiss her. Leaning over her he gently kissed her lips. "Of course we'll get through it. I'm an alien."

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There was too much teetering on the edge for Killian to even want to get up. In some ways he wanted to know what the doctor found and in other ways he didn't. By now he'd gotten used to the idea of living to be much older and suddenly to have that taken away was unnerving. Groaning he turned over in the bed. "I don't want to go." Of course she wouldn't go without him so he had to get up and get dressed. While he sat in the office waiting to be seen he couldn't seem to avoid the fact that his heart was beating almost faster and faster with each tick of the clock.

Dr. Witteck led both of them into the lab. "I've made an interesting discovery. Until now we've always thought that the only difference with Chippequoti and humans was their bone density and strength. Turns out the immune system is not primarily run through their intestines as it is with humans. This extra layer of bone is an immunity to the poison." Looking at Killian he pointed to the many little spots that he had tried various different diseases and poison then bacteria and virus's on. "You have developed an immunity to the poison. If Star hadn't been there to help control the immediate shock it caused in your body it would have killed you. Instead she bought time and that was all the bones needed. It also explains the swelling and pain in your bones. Chippequoti bones are the primary source of immune function in their body. The immune system was over taxed for several days. So this thin layer has provided greater protection against the poison and many related strains."

Relieved and not sure what else to do Killian nodded. "Huh...Well I guess I learned something new. So when I feel just fine and back to normal I should be fine to go then?"

"Just be careful. A body doesn't always recover from a shock like this in a matter of weeks. It appears that you are out of danger." Dr. Witteck smiled at Star and reached for the baby's hand. "You little miss will have to come see me again. I've got to know if you run off a combination of immune or if there is a dominant immune system." There was no telling if one would be dominant or if she would have both kinds.

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Killian walked with Star outside of the clinic and then took a deep breath. "So I think we need to find a job. I'll get some extra credits and we'll maybe make 2-3 runs. Just enough to get what you need and take some stuff home for the settlement. Frank told me there have been some weather pattern changes. We can't afford for that to happen unless we get some gardening houses to help protect the land. That and I want to invest in some cattle. I'd rather work with animals than plants."
 
Star smiled lightly at the doctor as took Claire's hand and spoke in that 'baby' voice. She'd begun to wonder the same thing about Claire's immune system. Thus far she hadn't been sick at all, despite traveling between a number of planets already. "So...if...we still want to do the treatment...for me...will his marrow still work?" Star asked hesitantly. She didn't really want the treatment...not after seeing what Kato had gone through, but...neither did she want leave Killian or Claire prematurely because of something like age.
Dr. Witteck took a deep breath. "It should work. You'll get all the immunities he has." Rubbing his chin he gave a thoughtful look. "You'll have to watch yourself carefully. I may have to develop a formula for the baby. With the recent poisoning and the immunity you could get the bone aches, also some of the side effects for a short time as your body accepts the bone marrow. It would work like a vaccination and I think it would be too much for Claire at her age."
"It doesn't have to be done now. I can wait until she's weaned. I was just wondering." Star replies. Little Claire reached up from her spot on Star's lap grasping at whatever she. Star chuckles and offers the babe her finger, which she immediately began to suck on.
The doctor nodded. "Very well. You know it explains some of the odd symptoms that I hadn't expected to see when I made the first treatment. It is still a risky procedure. There is no telling how in a sense how the immunity gained to the poison would affect you."
"How risky? Like...potentially lethal or just a high possibility of rejection?" She asks in concern.
"I don't know." Dr. Witteck looked at her. "The last patient I tried this with improved greatly. Far better results in reversing a disease than I expected."
Killian sat by and quietly listened while Star talked with the doctor about possibly receiving the treatment. Finally he decided to ask a small question though he was pretty sure it wasn't a good one. "Isn't there a way to test it before you do the procedure?"
Dr. Witteck turned toward the Chippequoti. "I could on a microorganism scale. It could demonstrate what happens to her cells on a small level. However, the macroscale response could be different. It will effect all the organs in her body and she would need to be in optimal health or at a point that this is the last solution. These kinds of procedures are not for just anyone. There is risk with every procedure and had it not been before the poison I would have been far more willing. It adds a certain level of unknown danger at this point."
"But if I don't...no other babies I have will survive...and..." She glanced over at Killian. She'd die long before her love and child. "Well, thankyou, Doctor. Its certainly given us something to think about for the future."
Killian frowned though there wasn't much he could say. It sounded like Dr. Witteck was perhaps less willing though he didn't completely rule it out either. "We'll probably be back later on." Once he was outside with Star Killian sighed. "He didn't say absolutely not. Probably have to wait till I'm cleared and you're at optimal health." So long as Star didn't have any health problems he didn't know about.
"Yeah." Star smiled up at him. "I understand his concern. There are enough possible complications in a normal transplant procedure." She looks down at Claire. "We still have 5 to 8 months before Claire is ready to wean. So...there is plenty of time to think things over and see if Witteck finds anything new."

Star passed Claire off to Killian because her arms had been getting tired from holding her, the topic changed to getting a job and some supplies. "Sounds good. We could really use some farm animals for sure...but the greenhouses would have to be extra sturdy if they are to withstand anymore wind storms." She takes his arm, glancing up at him. "Did you already have a job in mind or see a place to find one?" Knowing Killian, he probably already had the whole thing planned out.
"Wind storm resistant plant houses would work." There were several different kinds of innovations with the many different inhabitable terrestrial planets. Shifting the baby he held onto Claire with one arm. Almost immediately the baby started to gnaw and drool on his shoulder. For the time Killian ignored it. Star grabbed his other arm and he smirked. "Of course I got a place picked out." He was feeling a little uneasy about taking Star and Claire with. "You know proposing to take a job isn't always smooth business. If it wasn't for Claire I would take you, but..." Meeting Star's gaze he hoped that she understood what he meant.
"Yeah. I get it. I'll uh, just wait for you at the ship then?"
"If you could." Killian almost felt bad asking her to stay there. "I'm not trying to be an ass. Just I want to be sure that you're both safe. Which seems ironic, considering the jobs I'm about to propose and take you on."
"No, i understand. I wouldn't want to put Claire at risk like that anyway." She stands on her tiptoes and kisses him then takes Claire back. "I'll meet you at the ship then. Be safe."
Killian wrapped his one free arm around Star's waist. Giving a little growl with the kiss he smirked at her. Already she was collecting the baby. "I'll be careful, like usual." At least she understood that there was a difference between being in a potentially dangerous situation face to face versus being separated by ships.
She gives him one more kiss then turns away, Claire's bright green eyes staring at him over her shoulder.
 
Giving the baby a quick wink he couldn't help smiling. Little Claire meant more to Killian than he would have ever thought a child could. No matter her fussy days he loved the girl almost as much as he loved Star. A slight breeze lifted some of the baby's wispy black curls and waved it comically. Bumping into a man on the street he quickly decided to pay attention to where he was going. They would be safer not coming to the meeting.

Killian's limp was audible almost like an unusual stride as he stepped back into the narrow alley way. It was all stone and echoed loudly. Coming to the door he knocked and then the little man in gray opened the door. "What do you pay for smuggling work?"

The man narrowed his eyes at the tall memorable figure. "You're the Chippequoti from the games." Gradually a smile came to his face. "Oh I imagine there is plenty of work that a man of your capabilities could do." Pulling out a small file he pointed to the names on the paper. "I need a few of those and they've mostly been carried on the noble cruisers. Last few men I sent to get some were killed. I'm assuming your down on luck and want top dollar. It's what I pay. Forgive me if I don't pay anything upfront. Lost too much money paying up front for jobs where the men get killed or captured."

"If you don't pay premium prices I'll sell it to whoever the hell I want." Killian carefully tried to sound the word out in his head. A Berulant Crystal. "Anything else you want? I hate to waste a trip for only 4 crystals."

Shaking his head the man smiled. "Oh I think you'll have trouble enough if you get those crystals. If you get anything else of interest bring it back to me." So far he assumed that the man was new to smuggling, but an escape artist. From what they'd seen at the games the Chippequoti was plenty smart though it seemed he was perhaps trying his hand at a new version of crime. Somehow fitting for the history that was known of him. Perhaps his tamer wasn't around to level out his new activities. It would be better if she wasn't.

Stepping out the door Killian glanced at the little picture and the name several more times. It was on the cruisers. Where had he seen it on the ships? Then he remembered it was a fuel source. "Damn it." Those crystals were pretty good sized. Stepping out of the house he decided to head back to the ship. Best thing to do would be to check the main flyways and see if he could locate any ships large enough to be a cruiser and lure them off the main pathway. When he reached the ship something was definitely off. "Star?" At first he didn't hear an answer and he tried again. "Star?"
 
Star wasn't too far from the ship's docking bay but she'd taken longer than usual in getting there. Killian hated shopping, but she loved it...even if there wasn't much to spend. "What do you think about that, Claire? Huh?" Star held up a pretty beaded necklace and Claire grabbed for it. "Yeah, I know...I like it too. But...its too expensive. We need the credits for other things." She sighed sadly and continued onto the next vendor which was selling maps of other planets.

Star was looking through one when the mapmaker suddenly backed away, as if frightened. She turned around just in time to see two large goons approach her. The first grabbed Claire roughly while the second hit her hard in the face. Star stumbled back into the vendor's table. "NO!" She screamed pushing herself back up to her feet. She tackled the man who'd hit her. He grabbed her around the waist and through her into another vendor, then pointed an energy gun at her as she moved to stand back up. "Stay down." He growled. The man with Claire was disappearing into the crowd. "NO! CLAIRE!" She grabbed a hover ball and threw it at him hard.
He grunted as it smacked him in the face. The gun went off. When he looked down, she was laying at his feet un-moving. He made a disgusted sound and trotted after his partner, the marketplace now in chaos.
**********************************
Star blinked her eyes open. Her shoulder was burning where the energy bolt had hit her and there was the taste of blood in her mouth. Claire! No! Claire... She was just pushing herself into a sitting position, fighting against the nausea, when she saw Killian weaving through the crowd. He spotted her and rushed to her. Before he could even say a word, she grabbed his shirt with her uninjured arm. "Claire!" Tears streaked down her face. "Someone took her. I couldn't stop them. I'm sorry..." She wept. "I'm sorry."
 
She should have been to the ship by now. Killian couldn't help the feeling of his heart starting to rise to the base of his throat. What happened to them? It was a new place and he should have known better than to leave Star and Claire alone. She may not have made it to the ship. True she was a grown woman, but... Barreling down the ramps he locked the ship back up and started to desperately search the surrounding area for Star. Maybe she had to get something and he was panicking for nothing. There were too many possibilities.

A glimpse of her hair caught his attention and Killian pushed through the crowds without regard. "Star!" Rushing to her side he noticed her bloody mouth and the bruising starting on her face. He didn't get to ask about Claire before Star was already crying. "Ok." Helping Star to her feet Killian pulled her with him back to the ship. "I need you to tell me everything you know because I'm going to hunt down the bastards that took her." Inside the ship he grabbed what he could of the medical supplies and started to pick at her arm while she sobbed. "Just focus. Tell me what they looked like. If you can hold yourself together I need you to come with me. We're going back to the black market dealer I saw first to get some kind of information on where to find the men."
 
"I...uh..." She wiped the tears from her face, trying to calm herself enough to speak and help Killian find Claire. "There were too men, humans...black shirts...some sort of leather jackets. One uh...one of them had a bald head with a snake tattoo on the side, the other...I didn't see much of him. He just grabbed Claire right out of my arms..." She broke down again, overwhelmed with guilt for not being able to stop her daughter from getting kidnapped. She didn't even notice as Killian put ointment on the deep burn or began to bandage it up. "Oh god...if something happens to her...I'll never forgive myself."
 
A black shirt and leather didn't help. "What color were his eyes? Did he have anything about him different?" Finally she got to something a little more substantial. Soon as he had the ointment on the burn Killian took out a small pad and placed it over the burn and taped it down. It should keep the wound from drying out or getting irritated with too much exposure. "You can't think like that right now." Killian pulled her to her feet and gazed into her eyes. "I need you to focus. Claire might have only a few hours till she's off the planet or already sold to some bastard." Bringing a hand up he slapped her cheek gently. "Focus!" Now that he had her attention he let go of her arm. It wasn't enough to hurt her by any means, but he needed her to snap out of her panic.

Running down the ramp he waited for the woman to follow behind and he locked the ship again. "We're going straight back to the man that I dealt with earlier." Jogging he knew was Star's running pace so that was all the faster they could go. "You stay here." Leaving her part way he nodded. "You need to be keeping an eye out for anyone that could resemble the men." They were getting closer to the black market district and he didn't want to miss them.

Rushing through the doorway of the black market dealer's house he nearly ran into the man. "I will give you one crystal free if what you tell me leads to finding a certain little baby. The baby was stolen from the mother's arms this morning."

A grin came to the man's face. "She's yours." There was no way that fire in the man's eyes was anything besides a father's. Surprising that he would still be in this kind of business all things considered. "What did the men look like?"

Killian quickly relayed as much as he could though it was slurring with a bit of his haste to get the information. The man seemed to think that he could find them under the main market. There were a series of tunnels, but it was dangerous. "I don't care if it's dangerous. I'm going to kill the man that took her."

"If she's not there the men might know who else would have taken her. There is a string of kidnappers in this city. They always fight over this part of the territory. Don't kill all the men you come into contact with."

Charging out the door Killian nearly bulldozed into Star. "Take my 6." She was good for taking up his back and he needed it cause he didn't have time for much else besides going full front attack. Weaving into a street he followed the red marks on the sides of the building till the black roof house and then he tore the drain cover off the street and jumped in feet first. The bottom had been a ways down. Water broke some of the fall and it splashed up to his waist. Drawing a knife and the flashlight from his smugglers pants he shined the light into the tunnel and then started racing down it based off his memory. It was better to make flash attacks as they were known rather than give yourself away with a steady beam.
 
Star looked at him startled, like a deer caught in the headlights as Killian's strike to her cheek began to sting. "Focus!" He demands. She blinks, her surroundings and the burning pain in her arm coming back into consciousness. Killian releases her and they rush out of the ship. She stands watch outside the black market facility, looking desperately for any sign of the men who'd taken Claire. Her panic had slowly turned into rage and energy. Like Killian, she too looked forward to putting a bullet into the heads of the men who'd attacked her and kidnapped their beautiful little girl.

Killian stormed out, nearly knocking her over. He guides them to a drain cover and jumps down the hole, Star close behind. She gasps as the cold water reaches her waist. The cold water splashing up made her burn ache, but it meant nothing in comparison to getting Claire back. Killian was storming ahead, not even noticing that she floundering in the dark. "Killian...slow down." She struggled to keep up, wading through the freezing water.
"Are you sure they're down here? I don't see anything."
 
Slowing down was hard when he wanted to get to Claire as quickly as possible. The water sloshing behind himself gradually came closer and he could feel the ripples rise till he reached out and caught her by the shoulder. "Best lead I got." He didn't tell her that 25% of their next round of profits was forfeited if he got all four, but it would be worth it. "Had to start somewhere." The Chippequoti grabbed her hand and looped one of her hands into his belt. "Hold on." She would be directly behind and it should make pushing through the water easier.

Killian started out again till he saw the little light along the side of the wall. Putting his hands on the ledge he felt something squish and then crack. It must have been a dead rat or something of the kind. That feeling was almost shudder worthy. The captain grabbed patted around till he felt Star's head. "Grab my hand and I'll help you up." When it felt like she wasn't relying on him anymore he let her go and followed the little stream of light till he came to a corner of it and pushed.

A loud creak sounded and then grinding as the door swung open. Inside there were several men who looked up as he stepped inside. "What are you doing here?" One of the stood and pointed a gun at Killian.

Ignoring the gun he lunged forward and threw himself into the man before grabbing the front of his throat, digging in with his hands and then pulling the neck wide open. His hand covered in blood he reached for the next man. The second man's eyes were wide and he backed away. "Where is the man with the snake tattoo?" Killian grabbed the man by his neck and pressed him into the wall. "Answer me or I'll do worse to you."

"I-I don't know." Wincing he felt the hand get tighter. "He took her to the drop."

"Where is the drop?" Killian took his knife and drove it into the muscles just above the clavicle. "I can remove nearly 20 muscles so fast you won't have time to pass out." Sliding his knife along the length of the muscle he watched the man's face turn to pure agony. "My patience is limited, because that little girl is my daughter."

Gulping loudly the man finally cried out. "Bay 327. They were leaving in the hour."

Taking the knife out of the man's shoulder Killian turned to leave and then he felt the sharp sting of a bullet hit him in the back of his shoulder. It was mostly a flesh wound though it would likely hurt for a few days. Whipping around he took the gun from the man and shot the man several times. Dropping the gun on the body he started out toward the bay. "Star we got to hurry if we're going to get there in time."
 
Star nearly threw up at the sight of Killian tearing the man's throat out then torturing the second with a cold rage. She didn't protest though. It was for their daughter. Kidnappers like this...they deserved worse. Killian turned away from the 2nd man, he would've let him live, were it not for the man's stupid gut reaction to pull his gun and shoot.
"Star we got to hurry if we're going to get there in time."
She nods, running right behind him. They rush back onto the street looking around. Neither of them knew these streets that well. But Star remembered seeing maps on that vendor's table. She snatches a pair of headsets off a rack as they pass by. She hands one to him. "Don't slow down. Just go! Get our daughter. I'll see if I can find maps of the city and guide you."
She rushes to the map vendor and demands a map of the city, paying the credit fee. "Ok, Killian...where are you."
She looks on the map. "Turn right then run straight down four blocks." She waits then continues. "Turn left...take the stairs to the lower level then go North until you reach the bays. From there you should be able to find the right number."
 
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