The Ocean of Stars
Daniel gazed impatiently at the infinite sky from a lonely lookout a ways from his town. He wanted nothing more than to escape the terrible confinement of his dull planet and track down the mysteries of the universe as an outlaw. There was nothing exciting to do on Sentinel II; it was a trading planet covered in quiet, rural areas. Daniel always contemplated many things. Why am I here? Why do I exist? Is there a purpose that I can serve? These questions frequently shot through his mind. However, there was another thing that he constantly thought of: Outlaws. The thought of one day becoming an outlaw had become his reason for living, his drive, and his sole motivation.
Daniel resigned himself to return to his abode, where only repetition and boredom awaited him. He was quite young to be living alone, but he had managed well since the mysterious disappearances of his parents. There was nothing to do here; just bills, problems, and an infinite stupor. As Daniel prepared to throw himself on his bed and dream about exploring the cosmos, a crashing sound from below snapped him out of his misery. There was an intruder!
Daniel equipped himself with the pistol he keeps in his nightstand and warily advanced down the stairs. His fear was paramount, but he grudgingly had to admit to himself that he hadn't felt this sort of excitement in ages. As he reached the living room window(Which obviously forced open), he felt a cold piece of metal touch the back of his head. A malicious voice uttered a single instruction.
"Lower your weapon, kid."
A woman was pointing a gun at Daniel's head; he had been caught off-guard! He slowly lowered himself to the ground and placed his pistol there. As he raised himself, the woman turned him around and shoved him into the wall. He fell to the floor and faced her. She looked rather familiar, but where had he seen her before? She was pale, dark-haired, and remarkably beautiful, albeit having a gun pointed directly between his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?!"
The woman sneered at him before lowering her weapon and sitting in front of him.
"Look, kid, all I need to do is lay low here for awhile. Some bad people are after me, and it wouldn't exactly be the best thing for this planet to let them catch me."
"I'm thirteen, you know. I'm smart enough to guess that you ran into some trouble with the law, or maybe even some outlaws."
The woman contemplated the young boy with amusement. She was forcibly reminded of her childhood as she looked into his eyes. The boy seemed to radiate innocence.
"Where are your parents, kid?"
"Why should you care?"
"Look, I've lowered my guard. I just want to know more about my host if I'll be staying here for a short period of time."
Daniel weighed his options. If he refused to tell her about himself, she might pull her gun on him again. If he told her about himself, he would admittedly have someone interesting to interact with. His friends weren't nearly as exciting as this terrifying and beautiful woman. The former was definitely the wrong course of action.
"My parents disappeared awhile ago. They were scientists that worked on some sort of project involving Dragonite and Sub-Ether drives."
"Ahh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that. You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself, though."
"I got a job at the local repair shop, and my parents had lots of money in their bank account."
The woman removed her cloak and stood up. She helped Daniel up as well, and hung her cloak near the doorway.
"Sorry about the window. I'll patch it up. By the way, my name's Hilda. What's yours?"
Daniel stared in amazement. It couldn't be.. It couldn't be possible! He remembered where he saw her face; it was on the high-priority list of wanted criminals in the police station! Her poster hung at the very top of the wall, along with the McDougal Brothers and the Pirate Guild! It was her!
"Y-you're Hilda? THE Hilda? 'Hot-Ice' Hilda?!"
The woman rapidly covered his mouth.
"Yes, yes, that's me, although it wouldn't do to advertise the fact that I'm here. What's your name? Tell me about yourself."
Hilda uncovered Daniel's mouth, and he nervously launched into an explanation about himself.
"I'm Daniel. Daniel Gale. I've always wanted to be an outlaw and uncover the mysteries of the universe. I got the idea from looking at the wanted ads at the police station. There were all sorts of fascinating people's faces on that wall, and I wanted to make it there. I wanted to be where you are, on the very top of the wall.'
"You're more interesting than I thought, kid. Although, I've got to say, that's a pretty lofty goal you've got."
"Thanks. Maybe you could tell me why you're here, then? What does your arrival have to do with the planet?"
"I can explain that tomorrow, kid. Right now, we've got to fix that window. I could use some sleep, too."
After fixing the window properly, the two trooped up the stairs to Daniel's room.
"Is this the only bedroom?"
"The downstairs bedroom is piled up with junk and parts. It's my workshop."
"Well, there's only one bed. What do you propose we do?"
Daniel hadn't contemplated sleeping in the same bed with one of the most famous outlaws in the universe. He was extremely nervous; being unable to say anything, he just shrugged and looked away.
"I promise I won't bite, kiddo. Sleeping with a woman isn't such a big deal, you know."
He nodded and directed her to the bathroom. As he listened to the shower running, he couldn't help but feel extremely excited; he had just befriended one of the people he looked up to most, and she was going to be staying with him! He had many questions to ask her, and they all buzzed around his mind impatiently. After a little while of hard thinking, Daniel concluded that he would ask her the next day; his excitement was too profound to get his thoughts together.
"Why do you look so happy all of a sudden?"
Hilda stepped out of the bathroom and eyed him curiously. Daniel couldn't help but stare; her nightgown was far too revealing.
"My eyes are up here, kid. You seemed a bit more innocent when I first saw you, but I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover."
"Uhh. Sorry. I shouldn't have"-
Hilda raised a finger to her lips, and he fell silent. Her face split into a wide grin.
"I never said that it wasn't flattering, Daniel. Just be sure to learn how to deal with people you've just met."
"Yes, ma'am."
Hilda threw herself onto the mattress and gazed at Daniel's ceiling, which was covered in diagrams of sub-Ether drives, ship schematics, and pictures of solar systems. She could only ask herself: "Is this kid really up for exploring space with me? He's too green, but he certainly has a thirst for the cosmos. And he doesn't seem to be the hot-headed type, either.. Hmm, what to do, what to do?"
Daniel fell asleep after some time, but Hilda was restless. A huge decision was ahead of her, one that could change the fate of the universe. This boy was of large importance to her plans, but there was something else, something mysterious that lingered in her mind about him. Smirking to herself as she imagined his reaction on the following day, she curled up against him and was finally able to drift into the peaceful oblivion of sleep.
Special thanks to Spiritkitten for getting me back into fanfiction! This chapter's for you.
To be continued.