AN: I've been liking Treasure Planet for a while now, and so, this is my attempt at a fan fiction. Yeah, it's like a Mary-Sue, so sue me (get it? Sue? Sue?...never mind...). I mean, a lot of good stories out there are variants of Sues...hopefully, this will turn out to be one of them. Also, on another note, this story is a bit of a crossover. I used a group of aliens from Star Wars, the Twi'lek (without the home planet, weird names, and fluent language...I pretty much took the appearance, and that was it), just to create a more sci-fi feel, and give a different approach to the romance in the story (ah, the dilemma's of bi-species love...). So...here it goes. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Treasure Planet (© Disney), nor the Twi'lek and their Twi'lek-ish ways (© Lucas films)
Skin of Gold
Chapter 1: Exposure
Pluto was a miserable planet. Outside, the weather was frigid, dry, and a sickly wind constantly uprooted the purple dust that was spread across the barren surface of the planet. Few dared to venture into it, even with protective covering, and those who did rarely stayed out for more than ten minutes. But below ground, where the whole of the population resided, was the worst of all. When one traveled past the grimy, dimly lit tunnels that were sited surrounding the vicinity, all that waited was an equally grimy and dimly lit city (though it was hardly considered one). On the outskirts of the ground level, laborers mined ryll, a rare substance found only in Pluto, and the former home planet of Ryloth. The endless clambering and chiseling echoed night and day. In the center, dilapidated stores, taverns that emitted thin strands of smoke, and a vast field of grey fungi, the planet's only source of food, resided. Crude dwellings were burrowed into the inner walls of the city, each cascading over another with every curve. And suspended above all that was the court of the head clan, looking over the "lesser" beings and seeing a mere pack of filthy animals. The people spent every day in a mixture of damp, cold, and clammy surroundings, but they had learned to survive, as was the custom of all Twi'leks before them.
But despite the less than fulfilled lives of the civilians, there was always one reason to celebrate- the birth of life. It wasn't every day the females gave birth, but today was one of those occasions. The delivery took place in the very house the baby was expected to live in, and it was a girl- an even rarer gift. But something was odd about this bundle of joy, so said the father. Her skin, instead of one shade of vibrant color, was chalk white, with misshapen purple spots across her face and chest, running down her arms, legs, and the tentacles that grew form her skull (the trademark of all Twi'leks). "She's Evil's child", the grandmother shouted angrily, "only misfortune can come from such a strange- looking child. I've heard stories-terrible stories- of pirates that hunt these types of cases. Thousands of our kind were skinned alive just for the sake of value. Skin of gold, is what that child has, and nothing good can come of it". But the mother and father paid no mind, for love for their girl had already overcome them. "Beside, it's balderdash", the mother replied, "to make these discriminating claims of a newborn just because of her skin color. If we did that, we'd be just like those scum-of- the-earth humans..."
17 years later...
Constance furrowed her brow in frustration, and sweat poured down her forehead in streams. The harvest season was upon the planet, and Constance was one of the many burdened with the task of gathering up the year's crop of fungi. She gave a grunt as the stubborn plant she gripped was finally coming loose after a great deal of pulling - harvesting was no easy chore, and her sore hands and back didn't make the job any easier. "Oh, I wish this fungus would just...harvest...ITSELF!" She yelped as it shot out of the ground, and knocked her down in surprise. Now, not only was she sore, but covered in blue dirt as well. A horn sounded from above in the clan-house, a signal that the reaping was finished for today. "Thank our Lady..." Constance groaned, and picked her and her basket of spoils off the ground. The farmer that represented each family kept everything they pulled out of the ground, as was the custom. Constance glanced down at her basket, which was only half full of food, and frowned, hoping the amount would get her parents, brother, and grandmother through the next day.
The climb up to her burrow was torture on her aching body, but the trip was always worth it. As soon as the top of her head tails poked through the square opening in the floor, a child, no older than four, scampered across the floor to greet her. "Constance brought food! Constance brought food!" the little one chanted and danced around her feet. She set the basket down to pick up her little brother, and a weary smile spread across her sweat-drenched face. "It is good to see you again, too, Nero", she said laughingly.
"Constance, is that you?" A voice traveled from across the room as her mother, named Perdita, appeared in the doorway of the den. Like her daughter, her appearance was that of exhaustion, from a day's work tidying the small abode, which dirtied up as soon as she cleaned it day after day.
"Yes mother, I have the day's fungus supply", Constance replied lowering Nero to the floor and again picking up the basket. "But I am afraid the stock is low, like yesterday's..." Perdita tsk-tsked as Constance poured the food into a wooden bowl that rested on the eating table in the center of the room.
"I am surprised at you, Constance. The supply has been like that for almost a week now. I really do hope you're not becoming ill..." at that, she put the back of her hand to her daughter's forehead, but Constance quickly turned away. "I am not ill, mother! I am just...tired..." Her tone was that of slight depression, and a frown hung on her chalk-white face.
Perdita looked to her child with sympathy, but lifted her voice as she spoke, "Well, I cannot say I am not disappointed in you, but I will let it go with ease this time. After all, it is your special day."
Constance raised her head and her tentacles perked up. Of course, how could she have forgotten one of the most important days of her life- her birth day? All the days of work in the fields had thrown her mental clock off balance. She was 17 now, the age of true adulthood in the Twi'lek society's eyes. On the home world of Ryloth, this occasion would be celebrated by a feast in the home of the new adult, but food on Pluto was scarce, so the people regarded it as a joyous occasion alone, with no celebration to back it up. Constance didn't care, though; she practically jumped for joy at the thought of being accepted by her elders as a mature Twi'lek. She smiled wide and scooped up her young sibling. "Do hear that, Nero? I am finally a full-grown BEING!" In response, Nero cheered and clapped his hands.
"Now, I suggest you go get yourself cleaned up before this dirt fuses to your skin and you turn blue permanently", Perdita joked, but instantly regretted it. Constance's smile faltered. "Boy, wouldn't that be the day?" she replied off-handedly as she turned to the closet-sized wash room. The room consisted simply of earthen walls, ceiling and floor, a crude toilet made of rock placed over a hole in the ground, a mirror, and a large stone basin of water with a misshapen sponge floating in the middle. Constance stared long and hard at her reflection in the mirror, tinted brown from years of wear, and almost wished the dirt had engulfed her whole body. It wasn't fair that other Twi'leks her age were beautiful tints of blue, green, purple, you name it, and she was stuck with her boring white skin; the only color on her were the lavender spots that adorned her in several places. It was abnormal, it was bizarre, it was...ugly. Constance wringed the sponge out and slowly started to wipe the grime away, her eyes watering with every swipe.
Dinner took place as usual; only her mother had seemed to remember her birth day. Her father, Romulus, went on about his day's work in the mines, scolded Constance for her poor efforts in harvesting, and complimented Perdita on making the most out of the meager food. It was only after Romulus ended that Constance's grandmother spoke up. "So, I have heard it is the birth day of young Constance", she turned to her granddaughter, almost glaring, "17, is she?" Romulus slammed his hands down on the table. "Why, that IS true, is it not? I nearly forgot her birthday altogether! Congratulations, Constance" The recipient of the comment only muttered a "thank you, father".
"Have you fools thought nothing of the other half of the occasion?" The elder exclaimed, ruining a moderately good feeling all around. "On the 17th birthday of a female adult, she should have at least ONE male in mind for wedlock, and be mentally and physically prepared for children. I suspect it's time she start looking into possible mates-"
Constance choked on her fungus in the middle of her grandmother's sentence. 'MARRIAGE? No one ever said anything about MARRIAGE!' her mind screamed as she forced her food down and composed her outer self once more. "But grandmother", she pleaded, with a touch of anger in her voice, "do you not think I should think this over a trifle further? I mean, I have not even considered mating yet, I am much too young."
"Nonsense, every word of it", replied the other, looking her descendant coldly in the eye, "Back on the mother planet, females mated as young as fifteen. You have never made me at all proud before, but the least you can do is find a suitable male for yourself. And if you are unable to find one, which, considering your looks, will be most difficult, I will choose one for you; hopefully, he'll be able to deal with having YOU for a wife." The table was in cold silence after that; only Nero made hushed whimpering sounds, though Perdita was too startled to comfort him. Constance had her head hung in shadow for a moment, then stood up slowly and faced her grandmother. "You wicked, wicked old hag!" She shot out- her cheeks flushed, and hot tears poured down her face, "I wish to never lay eyes on you again, you horrible woman!" At that, she turned from the table, took a pouch from a bowl by the door labeled 'Constance', and hopped down the square entrance, landing hard on the ground level, only to keep running afterwards.
"Constance..." Perdita had called as soon as her daughter had leapt from the table, pursuing her down through the hole soon afterwards; the rest of the family followed suit. Only the grandmother was left, and as she sat alone at the stone table, a sly grin spread across her face, "All in time, all in time" she whispered cryptically.
The young Twi'lek got so far as the entrance to the outer tunnels, before she was stopped by the grasp of her mother, who turned her swiftly around. "Constance, honey...it is alright, Grandmother-she doesn't know what she is saying-" But Constance pulled away irritably. "No!" she sputtered, "Grandmother knows exactly what she is talking about, and she is right...it is because she is right that I am so angry with her!"
"Sweetie, listen..." Was another unfinished response from Perdita, followed by yet another interruption. "No, you listen! What does grandmother have against me? What does this world have against me, huh? I am different, and I DO NOT LIKE IT!!!" Her voice echoed into the tunnels. It was years of repression letting loose, and Constance didn't know how to handle it all at once; her choked back tears came gushing forward from the stress. "I-I need to be alone right now...just...let me be..." And she turned and dashed into one of the cold, damp passageways; if there was one remarkable thing about that young woman, it was her speed. It was only after the girl had disappeared into the dim light that Romulus, followed by Nero, caught up to his wife. Instantly sensing where Constance had gone, he started to run after her, but was stopped by Perdita's arm. "Let her go. She said herself she needed to be alone", the woman said to her husband quietly, almost with an air of understanding.
Constance navigated slowly through the tunnel, being half blinded by unshed tears that had collected in her eyes; though it didn't matter, anyway, she could find her way through those things even if her eyes were closed and her hands tied behind her. The cool earthen walls soothed her blistered hands as she brushed them along. "The opening has got to be here somewhere...ah, there it is!" She smiled as she came to what appeared to be a large bubble-shaped piece of glass stuck to the end of the passage. Quickly, Constance opened the pouch she had tied to her waist and took out three objects: a breather, which consisted of two nostril prongs and a breathing retainer, a small, flat black square with a button in the center that she stuck to the side of her face, and an old- fashioned white flint knife-she never went outside without it. She put on the breather, and when she pushed the black square, it produced green virtual goggles, to protect her eyes. 'I love technology', she thought to herself. The bubble released as soon as she touched it, and she gave a great sigh of relief as she stepped out onto the surface of Pluto. True, underground was her home, but outside was where she belonged. Constance spread her arms wide and twirled around, just as she had done when she was a girl. Soon, all her troubles were forgotten, and she just sat herself on a rock and leaned against the outer walls of the tunnel.
It must have been hours that Constance sat there, looking out across the flat, blue land of her planet, and feeling content with the world. But this fond feeling was interrupted when what seemed to be a sort of small flying ship approached the lonely dock right across from the rock she was sitting on. Constance leaned forward, her head-tails curling smartly. In all her life on Pluto, not once had she seen she seen a vehicle of that kind, and she was intrigued. Even more startling was the fact that a figure was stepping out onto the docking board. Constance jumped up and uttered a low 'oh!' when she realized that figure was a human, clearly male. In no time at all, the man was face to face with her, smiling oddly through his breather. "I got word you'd be here", he said coolly, "Constance, am I right? Is there a surname to that?" He stood patiently, just staring down at her; he was tall, muscular, rugged, and quite menacing- Constance was hesitant to answer.
"Faith, to every species but my own. How do you know my name? Who are you?" the questions shot out quickly; Twi'leks were naturally suspicious of anyone not of their kind. The man just laughed a deep, hoarse laugh; Constance decided than and there that she did not like this person...at all.
"Let's just say a friend told me all about you and your...strange skin condition. It's very rare, you know, and very valuable. Some would even call it 'skin of gold'", he eyed her carefully, especially along the head-tails. "Oh, and my name? You can just call me Leland. Not much a fan of last names, myself". Leland stepped back a foot or two and held out his rough hand to her, expecting a shake. The other just glared quietly at the hand, and said nothing. "Ah, that's alright", he said, shoving both his hands into his fur overcoat, "I can understand if you're a bit intimidated..."
"So..." Constance went right on with the questions; she had just as much authority to investigate as any other Twi'lek. Foreigners only came to this planet for trade, anything other than that was illegal. "...What are you here on Pluto for? Besides to supposedly look at me strangely, that is" She finished her question slowly, fingering the flint knife behind her back absently.
There was a drastic change in the man as she inquired. His eyes were now burning and his hand clutched around something in his pocket. "And why else am I here? Why, that's simple...I'm here to kill you" no sooner had he said those words, a gun was whipped out of his pocket and aimed for Constance's head. The Twi'lek screamed when she saw the gun, and even louder when he shot at her, but the fear didn't overpower her instinct. She dodged the laser blast in the knick of time. "You're fast", Leland sniggered, "but not fast enough". Another blast was fired, and this time she wasn't as lucky; as the flare whizzed past it cut into her shoulder. Constance let out a howl of agony; it burned unlike anything she had ever felt before, and she dropped to the floor out of searing pain, clutching the now bleeding shoulder hard. "W-what do you want from me?" she managed to choke out.
"'Skin of gold', some would call it'", he repeated himself, standing over her ominously "very rare, very valuable. Of course, that chink off your shoulder might cost me a bit, I was hoping to kill you in the first blow- didn't want to waste any more gun energy. But no matter, they'll just have to skin you alive when you get to my shop", he let out a sickening laugh, not like the pseudo friendly one he had made a while ago. Constance grimaced at the thought of dying in such a way; those same tears she had felt earlier started to form again. They stopped, however, when she remembered the knife still in her hand. 'Duh, Constance', she thought to herself, and gripped her weapon in striking form. The man finished gloating to himself and tugged his prize up by the head-tails; Constance simply gritted her teeth and bared the pain- she couldn't let him know it was getting to her. "Any last words, before I tie you up and you kiss your world goodbye?" he sneered.
"Yeah! Kiss THIS!" She cried as she brought her knife up and slashed it across his face, and slashed again across his chest as hard as she could. Leland hollered in surprise, dropping Constance and his gun, and doubling over in pain. The girl landed with a solid thud, but was quick to recover and grabbed his gun off the ground. The other was quick to see that, and, realizing the odds were no longer in his favor, dashed to his boat before Constance ever had a chance to shoot at him- not that she knew how to use a gun, anyway. "I'll be back..." were the only words spoken as the schooner sailed off at amazing speed. Alone again, the alien stood there: wide-eyed, sweaty, and bleeding; this was just not her day. Not only did she have the mounting tension with her grandmother over "holy" matrimony, but now some whacko human was hunting her for her skin. She had to do something, but what? WHAT?! "I have got to get away from this place", she muttered in revelation, and ran at breakneck speed into the tunnels once more; if there was one thing she had learned from her grandmother ('my recently disowned grandmother' she decided within herself), it was that you should never let your enemies know where you are, either hunter or family.
Swift as a dart, she was standing above the opening in her den; it was "night" now, and everyone had long since gone to bed. Scurrying to the bathroom, she washed her face a bit, took a look at her wound, ripped some cloth from her day dress, and bandaged it securely. 'Get with the packing already, you are on a tight schedule, here' she scolded herself as she bounded into the room she shared with her brother. She didn't take all that much, as she tried to keep her load as light as possible; she stuffed a few sets of clothes-all of the same sort, an extra pair of shoes, and a bar of algae soap and a washcloth tied together, and a compact Book of the Universe Atlas into a burlap army sack. Then, she redressed into her best outfit: dark brown stockings, a pair of darker brown baggy clam diggers, a blue peasant top that was bound at the elbows with a strip of grey cloth, a short brown-grey jumper that went over the blouse and was bound with the same grey strip at the waist. She finished it off with a brown leather Twi'leki head-dress, which fit over her ear knobs and wrapped around like a headband, with skinny strips that braided down her head tails. Taking a good look down at herself, she smiled inwardly, in spite of herself.
She was halfway through the doorway when she heard a little stir, 'Nero...' Constance thought, and nearly kicked herself for forgetting to say goodbye to him; he was the only one she wasn't angry with, the least she could do was see him before she went away. Quietly, she crept to his bedside, and had to smile; his small purple head tails were laying on his face and pillow haphazardly, and a trace of a grin spread across his lips, obviously having pleasant dreams. "I miss you already, Nero", Constance whispered as she swept the tentacle from his features and kissed him lightly on the cheek, "But you will see me again soon enough...love you". She tiptoed back out to the den, where she tossed a bag of fungi from the wooden bowl on the table, and a small sack of ryll from her father's stock into a cotton bag she slung over her good shoulder, shoved the breather into her mouth, stuck the black goggle square to her head-dress, and stowed her wrapped flint knife (which she had dipped in water to rid it of blood) and new gun into her sash. She took one last gaze at the only home she had ever known, and jumped down through the hole to the tunnels.
Once outside, she sprinted straight for the teleporter, the only means of transportation on Pluto, opened her atlas to a random page and put a finger on a planet with her eyes closed. Then with the utterance of her destination, she was gone in a flash.
AN: Whoo! 9 pages, this took up on MS Word. The other chapters won't be as long, but I guess it's best to give as much as you can the first shot. Forgive me if it's 'all sizzle and no steak' (or 'all steak and no sizzle'...whatever works for you), but the Treasure Planet element will kick in as soon as I post the second chapter (this is a TP fic, after all), which I already have begun to type. R&R! And please, no flames...I don't think my lil' ol' heart can take it.
Skin of Gold
Chapter 1: Exposure
Pluto was a miserable planet. Outside, the weather was frigid, dry, and a sickly wind constantly uprooted the purple dust that was spread across the barren surface of the planet. Few dared to venture into it, even with protective covering, and those who did rarely stayed out for more than ten minutes. But below ground, where the whole of the population resided, was the worst of all. When one traveled past the grimy, dimly lit tunnels that were sited surrounding the vicinity, all that waited was an equally grimy and dimly lit city (though it was hardly considered one). On the outskirts of the ground level, laborers mined ryll, a rare substance found only in Pluto, and the former home planet of Ryloth. The endless clambering and chiseling echoed night and day. In the center, dilapidated stores, taverns that emitted thin strands of smoke, and a vast field of grey fungi, the planet's only source of food, resided. Crude dwellings were burrowed into the inner walls of the city, each cascading over another with every curve. And suspended above all that was the court of the head clan, looking over the "lesser" beings and seeing a mere pack of filthy animals. The people spent every day in a mixture of damp, cold, and clammy surroundings, but they had learned to survive, as was the custom of all Twi'leks before them.
But despite the less than fulfilled lives of the civilians, there was always one reason to celebrate- the birth of life. It wasn't every day the females gave birth, but today was one of those occasions. The delivery took place in the very house the baby was expected to live in, and it was a girl- an even rarer gift. But something was odd about this bundle of joy, so said the father. Her skin, instead of one shade of vibrant color, was chalk white, with misshapen purple spots across her face and chest, running down her arms, legs, and the tentacles that grew form her skull (the trademark of all Twi'leks). "She's Evil's child", the grandmother shouted angrily, "only misfortune can come from such a strange- looking child. I've heard stories-terrible stories- of pirates that hunt these types of cases. Thousands of our kind were skinned alive just for the sake of value. Skin of gold, is what that child has, and nothing good can come of it". But the mother and father paid no mind, for love for their girl had already overcome them. "Beside, it's balderdash", the mother replied, "to make these discriminating claims of a newborn just because of her skin color. If we did that, we'd be just like those scum-of- the-earth humans..."
17 years later...
Constance furrowed her brow in frustration, and sweat poured down her forehead in streams. The harvest season was upon the planet, and Constance was one of the many burdened with the task of gathering up the year's crop of fungi. She gave a grunt as the stubborn plant she gripped was finally coming loose after a great deal of pulling - harvesting was no easy chore, and her sore hands and back didn't make the job any easier. "Oh, I wish this fungus would just...harvest...ITSELF!" She yelped as it shot out of the ground, and knocked her down in surprise. Now, not only was she sore, but covered in blue dirt as well. A horn sounded from above in the clan-house, a signal that the reaping was finished for today. "Thank our Lady..." Constance groaned, and picked her and her basket of spoils off the ground. The farmer that represented each family kept everything they pulled out of the ground, as was the custom. Constance glanced down at her basket, which was only half full of food, and frowned, hoping the amount would get her parents, brother, and grandmother through the next day.
The climb up to her burrow was torture on her aching body, but the trip was always worth it. As soon as the top of her head tails poked through the square opening in the floor, a child, no older than four, scampered across the floor to greet her. "Constance brought food! Constance brought food!" the little one chanted and danced around her feet. She set the basket down to pick up her little brother, and a weary smile spread across her sweat-drenched face. "It is good to see you again, too, Nero", she said laughingly.
"Constance, is that you?" A voice traveled from across the room as her mother, named Perdita, appeared in the doorway of the den. Like her daughter, her appearance was that of exhaustion, from a day's work tidying the small abode, which dirtied up as soon as she cleaned it day after day.
"Yes mother, I have the day's fungus supply", Constance replied lowering Nero to the floor and again picking up the basket. "But I am afraid the stock is low, like yesterday's..." Perdita tsk-tsked as Constance poured the food into a wooden bowl that rested on the eating table in the center of the room.
"I am surprised at you, Constance. The supply has been like that for almost a week now. I really do hope you're not becoming ill..." at that, she put the back of her hand to her daughter's forehead, but Constance quickly turned away. "I am not ill, mother! I am just...tired..." Her tone was that of slight depression, and a frown hung on her chalk-white face.
Perdita looked to her child with sympathy, but lifted her voice as she spoke, "Well, I cannot say I am not disappointed in you, but I will let it go with ease this time. After all, it is your special day."
Constance raised her head and her tentacles perked up. Of course, how could she have forgotten one of the most important days of her life- her birth day? All the days of work in the fields had thrown her mental clock off balance. She was 17 now, the age of true adulthood in the Twi'lek society's eyes. On the home world of Ryloth, this occasion would be celebrated by a feast in the home of the new adult, but food on Pluto was scarce, so the people regarded it as a joyous occasion alone, with no celebration to back it up. Constance didn't care, though; she practically jumped for joy at the thought of being accepted by her elders as a mature Twi'lek. She smiled wide and scooped up her young sibling. "Do hear that, Nero? I am finally a full-grown BEING!" In response, Nero cheered and clapped his hands.
"Now, I suggest you go get yourself cleaned up before this dirt fuses to your skin and you turn blue permanently", Perdita joked, but instantly regretted it. Constance's smile faltered. "Boy, wouldn't that be the day?" she replied off-handedly as she turned to the closet-sized wash room. The room consisted simply of earthen walls, ceiling and floor, a crude toilet made of rock placed over a hole in the ground, a mirror, and a large stone basin of water with a misshapen sponge floating in the middle. Constance stared long and hard at her reflection in the mirror, tinted brown from years of wear, and almost wished the dirt had engulfed her whole body. It wasn't fair that other Twi'leks her age were beautiful tints of blue, green, purple, you name it, and she was stuck with her boring white skin; the only color on her were the lavender spots that adorned her in several places. It was abnormal, it was bizarre, it was...ugly. Constance wringed the sponge out and slowly started to wipe the grime away, her eyes watering with every swipe.
Dinner took place as usual; only her mother had seemed to remember her birth day. Her father, Romulus, went on about his day's work in the mines, scolded Constance for her poor efforts in harvesting, and complimented Perdita on making the most out of the meager food. It was only after Romulus ended that Constance's grandmother spoke up. "So, I have heard it is the birth day of young Constance", she turned to her granddaughter, almost glaring, "17, is she?" Romulus slammed his hands down on the table. "Why, that IS true, is it not? I nearly forgot her birthday altogether! Congratulations, Constance" The recipient of the comment only muttered a "thank you, father".
"Have you fools thought nothing of the other half of the occasion?" The elder exclaimed, ruining a moderately good feeling all around. "On the 17th birthday of a female adult, she should have at least ONE male in mind for wedlock, and be mentally and physically prepared for children. I suspect it's time she start looking into possible mates-"
Constance choked on her fungus in the middle of her grandmother's sentence. 'MARRIAGE? No one ever said anything about MARRIAGE!' her mind screamed as she forced her food down and composed her outer self once more. "But grandmother", she pleaded, with a touch of anger in her voice, "do you not think I should think this over a trifle further? I mean, I have not even considered mating yet, I am much too young."
"Nonsense, every word of it", replied the other, looking her descendant coldly in the eye, "Back on the mother planet, females mated as young as fifteen. You have never made me at all proud before, but the least you can do is find a suitable male for yourself. And if you are unable to find one, which, considering your looks, will be most difficult, I will choose one for you; hopefully, he'll be able to deal with having YOU for a wife." The table was in cold silence after that; only Nero made hushed whimpering sounds, though Perdita was too startled to comfort him. Constance had her head hung in shadow for a moment, then stood up slowly and faced her grandmother. "You wicked, wicked old hag!" She shot out- her cheeks flushed, and hot tears poured down her face, "I wish to never lay eyes on you again, you horrible woman!" At that, she turned from the table, took a pouch from a bowl by the door labeled 'Constance', and hopped down the square entrance, landing hard on the ground level, only to keep running afterwards.
"Constance..." Perdita had called as soon as her daughter had leapt from the table, pursuing her down through the hole soon afterwards; the rest of the family followed suit. Only the grandmother was left, and as she sat alone at the stone table, a sly grin spread across her face, "All in time, all in time" she whispered cryptically.
The young Twi'lek got so far as the entrance to the outer tunnels, before she was stopped by the grasp of her mother, who turned her swiftly around. "Constance, honey...it is alright, Grandmother-she doesn't know what she is saying-" But Constance pulled away irritably. "No!" she sputtered, "Grandmother knows exactly what she is talking about, and she is right...it is because she is right that I am so angry with her!"
"Sweetie, listen..." Was another unfinished response from Perdita, followed by yet another interruption. "No, you listen! What does grandmother have against me? What does this world have against me, huh? I am different, and I DO NOT LIKE IT!!!" Her voice echoed into the tunnels. It was years of repression letting loose, and Constance didn't know how to handle it all at once; her choked back tears came gushing forward from the stress. "I-I need to be alone right now...just...let me be..." And she turned and dashed into one of the cold, damp passageways; if there was one remarkable thing about that young woman, it was her speed. It was only after the girl had disappeared into the dim light that Romulus, followed by Nero, caught up to his wife. Instantly sensing where Constance had gone, he started to run after her, but was stopped by Perdita's arm. "Let her go. She said herself she needed to be alone", the woman said to her husband quietly, almost with an air of understanding.
Constance navigated slowly through the tunnel, being half blinded by unshed tears that had collected in her eyes; though it didn't matter, anyway, she could find her way through those things even if her eyes were closed and her hands tied behind her. The cool earthen walls soothed her blistered hands as she brushed them along. "The opening has got to be here somewhere...ah, there it is!" She smiled as she came to what appeared to be a large bubble-shaped piece of glass stuck to the end of the passage. Quickly, Constance opened the pouch she had tied to her waist and took out three objects: a breather, which consisted of two nostril prongs and a breathing retainer, a small, flat black square with a button in the center that she stuck to the side of her face, and an old- fashioned white flint knife-she never went outside without it. She put on the breather, and when she pushed the black square, it produced green virtual goggles, to protect her eyes. 'I love technology', she thought to herself. The bubble released as soon as she touched it, and she gave a great sigh of relief as she stepped out onto the surface of Pluto. True, underground was her home, but outside was where she belonged. Constance spread her arms wide and twirled around, just as she had done when she was a girl. Soon, all her troubles were forgotten, and she just sat herself on a rock and leaned against the outer walls of the tunnel.
It must have been hours that Constance sat there, looking out across the flat, blue land of her planet, and feeling content with the world. But this fond feeling was interrupted when what seemed to be a sort of small flying ship approached the lonely dock right across from the rock she was sitting on. Constance leaned forward, her head-tails curling smartly. In all her life on Pluto, not once had she seen she seen a vehicle of that kind, and she was intrigued. Even more startling was the fact that a figure was stepping out onto the docking board. Constance jumped up and uttered a low 'oh!' when she realized that figure was a human, clearly male. In no time at all, the man was face to face with her, smiling oddly through his breather. "I got word you'd be here", he said coolly, "Constance, am I right? Is there a surname to that?" He stood patiently, just staring down at her; he was tall, muscular, rugged, and quite menacing- Constance was hesitant to answer.
"Faith, to every species but my own. How do you know my name? Who are you?" the questions shot out quickly; Twi'leks were naturally suspicious of anyone not of their kind. The man just laughed a deep, hoarse laugh; Constance decided than and there that she did not like this person...at all.
"Let's just say a friend told me all about you and your...strange skin condition. It's very rare, you know, and very valuable. Some would even call it 'skin of gold'", he eyed her carefully, especially along the head-tails. "Oh, and my name? You can just call me Leland. Not much a fan of last names, myself". Leland stepped back a foot or two and held out his rough hand to her, expecting a shake. The other just glared quietly at the hand, and said nothing. "Ah, that's alright", he said, shoving both his hands into his fur overcoat, "I can understand if you're a bit intimidated..."
"So..." Constance went right on with the questions; she had just as much authority to investigate as any other Twi'lek. Foreigners only came to this planet for trade, anything other than that was illegal. "...What are you here on Pluto for? Besides to supposedly look at me strangely, that is" She finished her question slowly, fingering the flint knife behind her back absently.
There was a drastic change in the man as she inquired. His eyes were now burning and his hand clutched around something in his pocket. "And why else am I here? Why, that's simple...I'm here to kill you" no sooner had he said those words, a gun was whipped out of his pocket and aimed for Constance's head. The Twi'lek screamed when she saw the gun, and even louder when he shot at her, but the fear didn't overpower her instinct. She dodged the laser blast in the knick of time. "You're fast", Leland sniggered, "but not fast enough". Another blast was fired, and this time she wasn't as lucky; as the flare whizzed past it cut into her shoulder. Constance let out a howl of agony; it burned unlike anything she had ever felt before, and she dropped to the floor out of searing pain, clutching the now bleeding shoulder hard. "W-what do you want from me?" she managed to choke out.
"'Skin of gold', some would call it'", he repeated himself, standing over her ominously "very rare, very valuable. Of course, that chink off your shoulder might cost me a bit, I was hoping to kill you in the first blow- didn't want to waste any more gun energy. But no matter, they'll just have to skin you alive when you get to my shop", he let out a sickening laugh, not like the pseudo friendly one he had made a while ago. Constance grimaced at the thought of dying in such a way; those same tears she had felt earlier started to form again. They stopped, however, when she remembered the knife still in her hand. 'Duh, Constance', she thought to herself, and gripped her weapon in striking form. The man finished gloating to himself and tugged his prize up by the head-tails; Constance simply gritted her teeth and bared the pain- she couldn't let him know it was getting to her. "Any last words, before I tie you up and you kiss your world goodbye?" he sneered.
"Yeah! Kiss THIS!" She cried as she brought her knife up and slashed it across his face, and slashed again across his chest as hard as she could. Leland hollered in surprise, dropping Constance and his gun, and doubling over in pain. The girl landed with a solid thud, but was quick to recover and grabbed his gun off the ground. The other was quick to see that, and, realizing the odds were no longer in his favor, dashed to his boat before Constance ever had a chance to shoot at him- not that she knew how to use a gun, anyway. "I'll be back..." were the only words spoken as the schooner sailed off at amazing speed. Alone again, the alien stood there: wide-eyed, sweaty, and bleeding; this was just not her day. Not only did she have the mounting tension with her grandmother over "holy" matrimony, but now some whacko human was hunting her for her skin. She had to do something, but what? WHAT?! "I have got to get away from this place", she muttered in revelation, and ran at breakneck speed into the tunnels once more; if there was one thing she had learned from her grandmother ('my recently disowned grandmother' she decided within herself), it was that you should never let your enemies know where you are, either hunter or family.
Swift as a dart, she was standing above the opening in her den; it was "night" now, and everyone had long since gone to bed. Scurrying to the bathroom, she washed her face a bit, took a look at her wound, ripped some cloth from her day dress, and bandaged it securely. 'Get with the packing already, you are on a tight schedule, here' she scolded herself as she bounded into the room she shared with her brother. She didn't take all that much, as she tried to keep her load as light as possible; she stuffed a few sets of clothes-all of the same sort, an extra pair of shoes, and a bar of algae soap and a washcloth tied together, and a compact Book of the Universe Atlas into a burlap army sack. Then, she redressed into her best outfit: dark brown stockings, a pair of darker brown baggy clam diggers, a blue peasant top that was bound at the elbows with a strip of grey cloth, a short brown-grey jumper that went over the blouse and was bound with the same grey strip at the waist. She finished it off with a brown leather Twi'leki head-dress, which fit over her ear knobs and wrapped around like a headband, with skinny strips that braided down her head tails. Taking a good look down at herself, she smiled inwardly, in spite of herself.
She was halfway through the doorway when she heard a little stir, 'Nero...' Constance thought, and nearly kicked herself for forgetting to say goodbye to him; he was the only one she wasn't angry with, the least she could do was see him before she went away. Quietly, she crept to his bedside, and had to smile; his small purple head tails were laying on his face and pillow haphazardly, and a trace of a grin spread across his lips, obviously having pleasant dreams. "I miss you already, Nero", Constance whispered as she swept the tentacle from his features and kissed him lightly on the cheek, "But you will see me again soon enough...love you". She tiptoed back out to the den, where she tossed a bag of fungi from the wooden bowl on the table, and a small sack of ryll from her father's stock into a cotton bag she slung over her good shoulder, shoved the breather into her mouth, stuck the black goggle square to her head-dress, and stowed her wrapped flint knife (which she had dipped in water to rid it of blood) and new gun into her sash. She took one last gaze at the only home she had ever known, and jumped down through the hole to the tunnels.
Once outside, she sprinted straight for the teleporter, the only means of transportation on Pluto, opened her atlas to a random page and put a finger on a planet with her eyes closed. Then with the utterance of her destination, she was gone in a flash.
AN: Whoo! 9 pages, this took up on MS Word. The other chapters won't be as long, but I guess it's best to give as much as you can the first shot. Forgive me if it's 'all sizzle and no steak' (or 'all steak and no sizzle'...whatever works for you), but the Treasure Planet element will kick in as soon as I post the second chapter (this is a TP fic, after all), which I already have begun to type. R&R! And please, no flames...I don't think my lil' ol' heart can take it.