I thought being able to understand the crew would be better than not. That it could help me finally find a group I can truly find myself in. I had forgotten that if there's one thing I'm bad at, it's being with people. What does a misanthrope do with others? I never made friends, usually just came across folk, and then all of the sudden they tell me their past. Like it matters to someone you just met a few days ago. Jackie showed me how to introduce myself, haggle for a better price, and be a bit less bland. He taught me how to be human.

I can almost see Jackie sitting right where they are, making friends and teaching them Spanish. Not on a chair in the middle of the room scarfing down food blander than those advertisements blasted from the TVs back home. At least before I had the excuse of not understanding them. Now, the silence answers for me. Now that I think about it, even Johnny would be better than me.

This place is gonna kill me, I should've figured that the moment I figured out I wasn't in Night City. I've made plenty of enemies and I have no idea how to get back home, not to mention how I've almost given up on understanding these people. I had Silverhand's pistol in the hotel, should've just shown folk Night… Should've...

'Johnny? Got something to ask, might need your thoughts on it.' Johnny materializes right by me, leaning against a wall. I still haven't gotten used to that.

"Go ahead, V."

'Remember how I had woken up in what looked like a hotel room? Well, how the hell did we end up in the hotel room? I mean, I honestly don't know what the hell happened when we ended up at the Blackwall, but something tells me it wouldn't have hooked us up with a place for the night.'

"So what, you think someone would just leave you in a place to stay and not think about the possibility of leaving? You do know how crazy this sounds, right?"

'Can't really think of a better idea as to why we had a place, the question should be who had gotten me the place?' The mind must be going slow if it took me this long to figure something out. Though even my eyes can notice everyone getting up and beginning to slightly pace around, moving crates.

Too many questions are going through my mind, I need to level myself, figure out one at a time. Such as, what's with moving the crates. I get up from my seat and move towards the window, and my mouth falls agape.

The ship is flying through the atmosphere, and there I see barely any lights shining, despite it being nighttime where we're flying in. I don't see smog in the air, or advertisements blasting into the sky. It feels almost like the badlands, but better. I wonder if there are any nomads here, or if folk are rich enough where they don't have to constantly travel. I mean, I didn't even throw away food when I was rich.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" I try making small talk with the suited fella, need to make sure I do ask it later on. Would be pretty awkward if he's calling me a buddy and I don't even know what to refer to him as. I stare out at the beauty in my eyes. If there's anything like this left on Earth, I never saw it. The suited fella kept silent, he's probably trying to land this beauty.

Still, need to ensure my survival, beauty or not. If the recordings made of me by the gonks in that first place have circulated, it'll only be a matter of time before someone tries to put chains on me, either in steel or paper. Just need to play smart, and this trip will be quick enough to where by the time they arrive here, I'll be somewhere else.

After a quiet 5 minutes, the magnets locked onto the ship, finally meaning we're docked. When the airlock finally opened, I picked up a crate and helped the crew in moving things, and the hangar we were in was clean and peaceful. There was noticeable activity with half of us moving supplies and the other half talking with what looked like two docking officers, some more of the dino people.

I noticed Mr. Suit walking over with some of the dino people walking up to me, with them approaching with a slight stiffness to them, though that might be usual for aliens. I straightened my back as they approached, but they were still slightly taller than me. Sweat was dripping from my brow, and the hairs sticking up from my back. Even Johnny appeared nervous, with him sitting by a stray crate.

"They wanted to speak with you since I stated you were the captain of the ship." Gee, thanks. I mean, I kinda am, but the last thing I need to do is deal with bureaucracy. No matter, I look up to them with as much gusto as I can muster.

"Greetings, me and my crew won't be here long. Just hand me any paperwork that I need to fill, and I'll get it done." The suited fella talks soon after in his own language, so at least I have a translator for me.

"They don't care about paperwork. Apparently, this is about the citadel. Apparently, cameras caught you both running from C-Sec and entering the ship with a few dozen people leaving it soon after. With them also having talked about a savior who looked unlike any of the citadel species."

The moment I heard about them talking, my eyes shrunk. They're here for the slavers, oh fuck. My hand moved slightly toward Silverhand's piece, every instinct telling me to shoot them. I want to, but the last thing I need is to make more enemies. I slow my breathing and stare at my impending fate, life flashing before my eyes.

'Leuk je gekend te hebben, Johnny.' I slightly mutter to the rockerboy, whose look of fear grows at me speaking Dutch to him. He didn't understand a single word, but he probably figured out what I was trying to say. My eyes finish with my past and look at them now. "Well, if you have a quarrel with me, just leave the others out of it. They're innocent."

Neither I nor these cold-blooded grim reapers separated our glare as the translation happened until one of them had his mandibles moved, and he was speaking with someone, most likely the other dino as the two of them started talking. A cruel 3 minutes slowed to a snail's pace as one of them spoke to my translator and I heard the comforting sound of English.

"He stated that he doesn't care, but everyone knows of you, everyone has questions about who you are. Mostly telling you to watch your back here, since even the Citadel council is looking for you."

That made me turn white, with the two folks finally leaving. My legs began to feel wobbly, releasing air I didn't know I was holding. I turn around to my complete shock, seeing the entire crew standing behind me. I hadn't noticed them being there with me freaking out. I have several more questions than I care to admit? What's the citadel? The council? Will I have a choice if they do find me? Why was I just let go by them? All and more swirled in my head, and I needed to think of a plan.

"Tell the crew that I say they can take a break, I guess. Drink, relax, get supplies, find jobs, just do whatever. I need to think." I silently sit by Johnny, my hands only now no longer shaking like crazy. The crew begins to go back to business as normal, but I don't think I'll be able to.

"Honestly, I thought you would have shot them. Good job." I hear Johnny's sarcasm in his voice but I can barely even hear him. I'm not good with people, but I know a true threat when I see it. They were a true threat, and they could've easily told their bosses I'm here, yet they haven't. They want something from me, but the question is what do they want.

Need to think of a plan, right fucking now. Need to ensure that this "council" won't find me, or anything like that. What about the crew, did they know? What if they plan on handing me over. Probably not for profit, may be thinking that they know what's best for me. Wouldn't be the first dumbass to think that. Unless there isn't an extranet they can access.

If I turn myself in, at best I'll be dealing with spending the rest of my days as a man who'll be nothing more than a circus animal to people, and at worst I'll serve time. The gonks I pissed off might have people there, and if the badges don't interfere, chrome can only do so much. Not worth the risk, unless I know for a fact I won't end up behind bars.

Still don't know how long I can run though. If they have a tight grip on almost everything, I'll be found no matter what I do. However, I might be able to hide away if their grip is loose in certain places, though not near that space station where I butchered someone's spokesperson. Not to mention a weak grip means a weak government. Might be able to hunker down, wait for the morons to destroy themselves if I can survive the chaos that'll form afterward.

There are too many damn unknown variables to really choose anything, so I need to figure out what I do know. There are aliens and some of them want a piece of me, and they are powerful. I need to make sure I don't get caught, and stay free. I'm a captain of a ship with the crew around me being possibly loyal, possibly traitorous. Some guards are planning something, and they need me to do it. I say no, and the powerful people find me.

Solutions right now are simple, win the loyalty of the crew and take small jobs, nothing too big to get attention. I'll also need to do whatever those dino fucks want, mostly so I can do it and not have people on my trail. Other than that, I guess I could maybe recruit a few more people to the ship and get my translator to understand alien. All of this is easier said than done, but I still have to ensure my survival.

You know, suddenly I'm missing Night City.