Chapter 5
AJ slithered in the shadows. He knew he wouldn't get far in his clothes, so he made his way to the crew lockers in the pilot ready room. After a few minutes, he managed to break one open. Luckily, it was about his size. AJ pulled on the uniform, it was a little snug, almost to the point of being uncomfortable, but he'd live. He heard the heard the door hiss open. A large man walked in. He must have been about 6ft 2in, black spiky hair and was very built. His green eyes scanned the room for a second before spotting AJ.
"Who are you?" To AJ's surprise, the man seemed stern, but friendly.
"I'm new," AJ faltered.
The man looked at him quizingly. AJ could feel the man probing his mind. he didn't like it at all. Then, he could hear his voice in his mind. 'I know you don't belong here. I don't know the plan, but I sense you're against the Royals. I will help any way I can.' AJ didn't understand what he had done, but nodded.
"The name's Kevri, but Kevin will do." He stuck out his hand.
AJ thought quickly, "Joepe, J for short," He chose the name of his childhood friend.
"I was just picking up something and then I was gonna head to the galley, care to join me?" Kevin offered.
"Sure," AJ figured this man could be of some help after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mistress Leiwa, we found these two in sector 6284. What do you want us to do with them?" A guard thrust Nick at her feet. He sneered at her.
"Lock him up," Leiwa instructed. Her eyes shifted to the lifeless young man. "Fix him up and put him with the other one. I may have a use for him later," She dismissed the guards and the prisoners.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Why are you really here?" Kevin questioned quietly over their meal.
"Our ship got pulled into the tractor beam and I need to help my friends," AJ responded, his voice no louder then a whisper.
"Where you from?" Kevin asked in a regular voice, so they wouldn't appear suspicious.
"Nowhere in particular, I've lived just about everywhere in the galaxy. But Triken's 6th moon is my birth place." AJ answered.
"Siblings?"
"None, raised by my grandparents," AJ hoped he sounded convincing. Although, some of what he was telling Kevin was true, his grandparents DID raise him, and his older brother had been killed by the Royals several years before.
"Where do you really need to get to?" Kevin's voice was as quiet as his breathing.
"The space port on Okendala,"
"Planetside?" Kevin looked amused as a plan began to form in his mind.
"Yeah."
"I got a cargo run to do in a few hours, do you have anything else scheduled?" Kevin stated.
"Nope."
"Perhaps you'd like to join me, I can show you the ropes," Kevin smiled.
"Sure," AJ agreed as he smiled back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brian awoke several hours later. He felt weak and feverish. "Nick," His voice cracked.
Nick jumped up. "Brian! You're alright!"
The room began to spin around Brian, he closed his eyes and took a deep, painful breath. "Where are we?" he managed. The pain was almost too much for him to take and he fought conciseness.
"Some sort of holding cell," Nick replied, noticing Brian's face twisting in anguish. He had taken part of his tunic and placed it under Brian's head for some sort of pillow. He grabbed Brian's hand in attempt to comfort his friend.
"So, cold," Brian's voice was barely audible. Nick shivered involuntarily. He rested his other hand on Brian's head to find it warm. There wasn't much he could do now.
"Brian?" He tried. When he got no reply, he looked at Brian's limp form, relieved to see his chest gently rising and falling.
"Come back here!" A harsh voice called out. He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. Sure, he wasn't a professional thief, but he did what he could to survive. He ducked into a small alley and climbed a gutter to the roof. As he looked breathlessly behind him, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of his face, he noticed the man was gaining. He ran to the other side of the roof, revealed to see a clothing line. He dropped down back to the streets below, clutching his prize to his chest. "THIEF!" he heard the man shout down from the rooftop. He dodged people and soon disappeared into the darkness of the alleys that he had came from.