"Without the proper tools, or the knowledge to have the knowledge that we can use these tools, we cannot build up our homes, cities, or our world."
Bzzzzzzzt.
I flicked off the television and got up. "Ne-Nio~ C'mere boy!" A dog rushed up to me wagging his tail. Nodding approvingly, I walked to my observation deck.
"Goodness, what shall we do today, Nio? Not a soul out here, no company, and…"
I was cut off by a noise. Brnk brnk brnk. "There is an object in your path, would you like to demolish it or see what it is?" My computer spoke over the intercom. I frowned and jogged to my control deck. When I got there I slid easily into a wheelie chair and carted over to the controls.
"Bum, bum, bum."
I tapped my fingers on the screen and then pressed a button.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
A screen popped up, showing me what was in front of my ship. It showed nothing but empty space and then… There was something brown, then it got closer, and closer, and I realized it was a ship. At that moment, another screen popped up showing a man's face.
"Hello?" The man asked his hair was an abnormal dark green color and reddish-brown eyes that seemed to be different shades.
"Hello, who are you?" I questioned.
"Me? We can get to that later, can you help my friends and I? We're kind of in a bit of… trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"The kind that may kill us…"
"Hm… Let me guess, running out of food, fuel is gone, and you're just floating along in the middle of space."
"Correct, so, if you would be so kind, beautiful lady, could you let us onto your ship? And tow ours to the nearest inhabited planet?"
"How do I know you're not bandits, or perhaps space pirates about to take my ship?"
"Well, I guess you will just have to count on your gut instinct now won't you? Unless, you have a man there who could help you judge."
"I do indeed have a man who can help me!"
I turned around and picked up Nio.
"Waddya think? Can we trust this man and his companions, Nio?"
Nio cocked his head to the side and blinked. "Woof!" He barked and pawed at the picture of the man, who raised an eyebrow.
"Well, looks like it's all settled. Give me a minute and I'll come get you all." I said cheerily and got out of my chair.
"Do do doo," I mumbled as I pulled on my space suit and wandered over to my space plane.
As I got in, I flicked a switch and my hatch opened. I started up my engines and flew out into space. Seconds later, I was next to the other ship and launched out a grappling hook. Once it was secure I got out of my plane and stood on it for a second before grabbing the line that was attached to the other ship. I brought the line over to my ship and tied it securely to a loop hanging off it. Satisfied with my work, I went back to my plane and landed on the other ship. Their hatch opened and I wheeled in.
"Hey there, stranger!" An orange haired (girl?) exclaimed as she jumped onto my plane.
"Hey right back to you, stranger number two!" I said as I got out of my plane and took off my helmet.
"The name is Edward, but you can call me Ed for short~" Ed said as she grabbed my hand and shook it.
I smiled and replied with a modest tone, "nice to meet you Ed, the name is Aya Naraa, you can call me Aya for short."
Ed clapped her hands together and then attached herself to my left leg. At that moment the green haired man, a balding man with a brown beard, and woman with violet hair entered the room.
"Hello there other residents of this ship," I said.
"Oh! You must be our savior! Thank you!" The violet haired woman exclaimed as she came over to me.
"It's not that big of a deal. I don't have any companions other than a dog, so any human contact is welcome. Even hostile interaction is welcome."
"Is that so? Well, maybe I'll ditch these lame-o's and join you. By the way, my name is Faye Valentine, what's yours?"
"Haha, I'm sure you're needed here. My name is Aya Naraa, nice to meet you Faye."
The green haired man and the balding one walked over to us. The green haired one interrupted our conversation.
"Aya, that's an interesting name. Sounds a bit familiar. Don't know what from though. I'm Spike, Spike Spiegel." He put out his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Spike. If you had met me before, you would most likely remember, I'm a bit different from most." I replied, taking his hand and shaking it.
"I've met too many people in my lifetime, but I think you're right. I wouldn't forget your face, or your name, for that matter." He replied before releasing my hand.
The balding man rolled his eyes and stepped up to me. "Hello miss. My name is Jet." He said, holding out his real hand.
"Nice to meet you, Jet. Well, since we're all introduced, would you all like to come to my ship and have something to eat?" I asked after I had shaken Jet's hand.
"Yes! Please!" They all exclaimed at the same time.
"All right, all right, don't attack me. You can all fit in my plane, right this way." I said as I motioned them towards a door in the side of my plane.
They all got in and then a dog ran in after them.
"Ein! There you are, Ed has been looking for you everywhere." Ed said as she picked up the dog.
I nodded and closed the door before leaping into my cockpit. After the hatch of their ship opened I shot out and swerved around landed back inside my ship. We all got out after the hatch closed and I lead them into my kitchen.
"Wow, this is way nicer than our kitchen. What's this?" Jet said as he spotted a plant with green vegetables growing off it.
"That? Oh, it's a cucumber plant. If you want, I can put some in a salad and we can eat that with our enchiladas." I replied as I walked over to my fridge and took out some cheese and vegetables.
They all looked at me wide eyed and drooling. I gave them a questioning look, and then I set the food on the counter and started to prepare the enchiladas.
"Do any of you know how to cut vegetables?" I asked as I held up a knife.
"I do!" Jet exclaimed and grabbed the knife.
I laughed and then went back to making the enchiladas. While I was doing that, Spike, Faye, Ed, and Ein had found seats to sit in around my table. My dog Nio wandered in lazily. Ein perked up and looked over at him. Nio walked over to him and jumped into the seat next to him.
"Another doggy! Aya! Aya! Is this your dog?" Ed asked as she put out her hand and stroked why dog's shaggy fur.
"Yes, that's my dog. His name is Nio. He's quite the lazy bum." I said looking sideways at Nio.
"Quite the lazy, lazy bum~" Edward sang as she ran her hand over Nio's back.
That sparked more conversation from Spike, Jet, and Faye.
"So Aya, what do you do for a living? You obviously have quite a high paying occupation." Spike commented.
"Ah, the famous, What Do You Do question. I'm a bounty hunter, a famous one in fact. I go after any bounty head out there, no matter how big the reward is. I find it… exciting. Every bad guy in the Solar System knows my name and tries hard to not get caught by me. Too bad for them though, I'm just too awesome to not catch them." I replied, finishing up the enchiladas and shoving them into the oven.
Everyone stopped what they had been doing and were staring at me. I looked into their eyes and then shrugged.
"I think that's enough vegetables for today, Jet. Oh! What do you guys do for a living?" I inquired.
All of them were quiet for a minute before Spike replied, "we're also bounty hunters. Now I know where I've heard that name before."
"Ah! Fellow bounty hunters! How exciting! Where have you heard my name Spike?" I questioned as a smile crept across my face.
" "A ruthless, man hunter who knows no boundaries nor limits to the bounty heads that he chases after. Anyone who tries to find out who he is gets lured off the trail by his or her own weaknesses. If you want to do any criminal act, you have to make sure you have no loose ends, or he will show up on your doorstep with cuffs in one hand and a gun pointed at your face in the other. Beware the mighty bounty hunter Ayanashi Naraakwa." I read that off a paper that a man dropped once. I suppose that's you, but you're not a man and you're name isn't the same." Spike said lifting an eyebrow.
"Hahahahaha," I laughed, "they really do come up with ridiculous things about me. A man? Ha! A longer name? What stupid person came up with that? I have always welcomed people trying to find out who I am. They make some of the most ridiculous lies about me sometimes."
"Interesting. Maybe someone is trying to protect you." Spike said staring into my eyes intently.
I shrugged and grabbed all the vegetables Jet had chopped up and threw them all into a bowl together.
"Enough of that for now though. The food is ready!" I said, abruptly changing the subject and grabbing the enchiladas out of the oven with a towel.
I grabbed five plates and two bowls. After placing them on the table in front of every one, I served everyone equal proportions of salad and enchiladas. Then I opened my fridge and grabbed some ranch and sour cream. I sat down at the table after placing the condiments on the table and we all ate our food in silence.
