Jim Hawkins squinted into the dark as a cockroach scuttled across the wall of the cracked wall of his room. His head was swimming, a testament to the mostly empty bottle of rum that sat on the table in front of him. He hadn't been paying attention to...well, anything really. After he's gotten back to the run down inn earlier that night, he'd just wanted to forget, and it would appear that he had. If the cracked watch around his wrist was right, he had maybe half an hour before the short-tempered innkeeper came demanding his money.
Money that Jim no longer had, thanks to the thugs that had jumped him not long after he'd left his meager job down at the docks. All he did was help unload cargo from the shops that were passing through on business, and though it could get to be backbreaking labor, at least it was something. And while the past month hadn't been something he'd likely look back on with a smile, he'd had a real bed for the first time in a very long while. And a roof over his head. Cockroaches be damned.
He bowed his head, lightly bumping his forehead against the rough grain of the table as he let out a sigh. The rum had brought back memories of happier times in his life. Being accepted into the Interstellar Academy. Passing his courses with flying colors. His mother had been so proud when he'd graduated. And when he'd been issued his ship? He could still clearly remember how the wood had gleamed in the sunlight, the breeze rustling the sails. He had felt that in that moment, his life was truly beginning.
He reached blindly for the bottle, bringing the neck to his mouth and guzzling as much as he could stand. Silver's words echoed back him from his younger years, when he'd still had what his instructors had called determination and raw skill. 'Yer gonna rattle the stars, you are.'
He wasn't gonna cry- he was past that. He hadn't cried since the Academy had stripped him of his title, and by extension his ship. Who had started the rumors that Jim Hawkins had bedn solely responsible for a devastating pirate attack on a civilian transit ship, he'd never known. Though he'd had his suspicions after his beautiful ship, the RLS Starfury, had been given to none other than Captain Andre Tiolis, who had graduated second only to Jim. The man had always hated him.
The rumors had been seemingly verified by a search of the Starfury, that had uncovered the exact travel plans of the ship. Jim still had no idea how they'd gotten there, but it hadn't mattered. His dreams, his career, up in smoke. He was lucky he hadn't been sent to prison. He had Amelia and Delbert to thank for that. If they hadn't testified to his character, he probably would've been hanged. His mother had always maintained his innocence, even now. The Benbow Inn, for as much as he hated it growing up, had been a relief. No one would hire him, with the exception of his mom. Bussing tables was just as glamorous as it had been at 15, but it was a job. One that he had sorely missed after his mother had taken ill. Jim tilted the bottle to his mouth again, draining it dry.
The doctors said they'd never seen anything like it before. One day, Sarah was fine, and the next, she was bedridden. Without her to keep everything running, the Benbow had gone out of business. At least Jim had been able to pay off the land before his career had gone up in flames. The last time he'd seen her, his mother had been so frail it had terrified him. Her lungs wheezed when she breathed, and she slept often. Her stomach could handle little more than broth. Delbert and Amelia had moved in, along with B.E.N, to help take care of her. Jim had left to find a doctor who could help, to find work to pay for treatment, to make a difference. And at first, he had. But now...
The hoodlums had stolen his last chance. The innkeeper would be by shortly, and when Jim couldn't pay for his room anymore he'd be cast into the street. Without a place to rest and bathe, no one would hire him, and he'd be back to begging on the streets. It appeared to Jim that his life had run it's course. Just shy of thirty-two, and this was where it all ended. There was a pistol under his pillow, and not for the first time was he considering it. He couldn't face his family, not after what he'd become. He couldn't watch his mother die.
He'd retrieved the pistol, and was considering leaving a note when it happened. The room was already dark, lit only by a single sputtering candle, but a large black mass appeared out of nowhere. As Jim watched, the mass took the form of a woman. She was tall, and slender, with ashen skin and long, dark hair that floated about her head and shoulders, as if caught in an underwater current he couldn't feel. She had no legs- rather, her burgundy dress seemed to end in billowing smoke. She glided across the room, the unnatural movement sending a chill up his spine, but that wasn't what unnerved him the most. No, that would be her eyes. They were red. Not as though she'd been crying, not deprived of sleep. Her irises were the color of blood.
"What are you...?" Jim asked, momentarily forgetting the gun. She smiled at him- no, that was definitely a smirk.
"You mortals, always so jumpy." She sighed, picking up the now-empty bottle. "It seems I've caught you a bit down on your luck, Captain Hawkins." He winced- he hadn't used his real name in months. Being an infamous traitor had that effect.
"Who are you? How do you know who I am?" His mind was still blurred with drink, but it seemed to be clearing in the company of this strange woman. She smiled, exposing bright white teeth.
"Eris, the goddess of discord." Had this come from a woman with legs and normal, physics-abiding hair he'd have scoffed and thrown her out. As it was he was inclined to believe her.
"I..,I've never, uh..." he coughed to clear his throat. "Why are you...in my room?" Eris rolled her eyes, probably disappointed by his response.
"You've had a very poor run of things, haven't you? First your job, then your name, now your poor mother- why, it's almost like someone in the universe hates you." Jim clenched his jaw at her dismissive, almost mocking tone. Goddess or not, she'd struck a nerve.
"What's it to you? This galaxy isn't big on 'discord worship', or whatever it is you're looking for."
"I'm simply looking for a favor. In fact, if you were to do this little favor for me, I'd be more than happy to greatly reward you."
"Is that so?" His mind was already skimming through all the alien races he was aware of. He knew a con when he saw one.
"You're going to do something for me. You're going to hold onto...an asset, of mine. And, in return," she walked her fingers up his chest, only to flick his nose. "You may have whatever your heart desires." He pulled away.
"Anything, huh?" She glared at him. Either she was used to swaying people to her interests more easily, or she wasn't used to people questioning them.
"In return for becoming a humble servant, I can grant you my favor. Those pesky rumors about you, gone. Your mother's health, restored. Why, I can make you the most prosperous captain this world has ever known."
"How do I know I can trust you?" If she was glaring before, she was snarling now. Her hair swirled around her, and she appeared behind him, one elegant finger tracing his unshaven jaw and neck as she whispered into his ear.
"As a goddess, I'm bound by my word." She felt cold to the touch. "So, do we have a deal?" Jim thought it over for a second. It wasn't like he had much to loose at this point.
"What's your asset? Where do I find it?" He heard the smile in her voice.
"I'll point you in the right direction when the time comes. For now, just think of what it is you'd wish for in return."
"How does discord translate to granting wishes, exactly?" Eris's body dosolved into a dark cloud, and she reappeared reclining on the bed, tendrils of hair curling this way and that, obscuring part of her face for a moment.
"Oh, I have my ways. I've collected a few trinkets here and there." With a wave of her hand, something dropped onto the tiny chair beside the table. It was a jacket. Now he did scoff.
"How is that supposed to-" he turned back to the bed, but Eris had vanished. Frowning, he approached the chair. The jacket didn't look like anything special. In fact, it looked a great deal like one he had owned years ago. Worn brown leather, deep pockets, a high collar. He pulled it on and was surprised by how well it fit him. He stuck his hands in the pockets and felt his hand close over a piece of paper. He drew it out.
'Find the men with the silver cuff.'
He bit his lip. That would be easy enough- there were a large ring of slave traders on this planet. This corner of the galaxy still dealt in slavery, and they made enough coin to pay the outpost guards look the other way. If he wasn't careful and went sniffing about, no one would ever see him again.
There was a sudden racket as someone banged on the door.
"Woods! Week is up!" It was the innkeep. Jim muttered a curse as he unlocked the door.
"I'm sorry, mister Cort-"
"Money now! No money, no stay!" He hollered. Jim's mind raced, and he stuck one hand into his pocket. He wasn't sure why- it just happened. His hand closed around a fairly large, heavy bag of coins. He felt his eyes widen in disbelief.
"Uh, I have it. Your money." He stuttered, and pulled out the bag. Cort snatched it out of his hands, greedily counting the money before fixing him with those beady little eyes again.
"One week! More money!" And with that, he was gone. Jim closed the door, speechless as to what had just happened. A magic...jacket? A goddess had appeared in his bedroom and had given him a magic jacket? A goddess of discord, no less. That sounded less than honorable. He sat on the bed, dumbfounded. It still wasn't clear what she wanted. But he highly doubted he had any real say in the matter.
"Silver cuffs," he mumbled. If Eris had this much power, what else might she be capable of?
note: a new story? After the multiple years of having this account? Yes. Actually this is sort of a re-write of someone else's fic. I'd read the story before, and i loved the idea, but it was more or less abandon. I talked to the author, and they offered to let me try and finish it. I'm tweaking things a bit, though. And just like Encounters, which I'm still working on, this isn't going to have regular updates. That being said, review if you like it. Thanks guys.