He didn't believe the universe hated him this much.

He's pretty sure he was just destined to have a horrible life, that would soon end very shortly, and very painfully.

So far, his life had taken a terrible, unexpected turn- and his life was already miserable, but this just takes the whole cake.

Ezra had no idea how long he was in the brig of the pirate ship, but at this point, it didn't matter.

He's probably been in the ship's brig for a week tops.

His cries had been silenced by the unruly band of pirates, or the sounds of the engines roaring while it blasted them farther away from home.

He had hoped- prayed, begged- that maybe a navy ship, from any empire, would track them down, or somehow find them, but the pirates navigated through the stars with ease, facing no troubles on their voyage.

The first few pirates to grace him with their presence threatened to shoot him right then and there if he kept on sobbing throughout the night.

But that idea would get shut down by the Captain.

They mentioned something about needing him alive and not being able to arrive empty handed.

Ezra took note of how the crew was only women, and they all wore black.

He remembered Alani saying something about a pirate crew full of women called "The Trinity", but he didn't know if this was that crew.

Where were they going? Ezra had no clue, but from what he grew up hearing, it was no place good.

He had heard about trafficker rings from his mom. It was a marketplace for the living and the breathing, and if you end up in one, you're as good as dead.

His mother didn't dare sugarcoat things, it wasn't in her nature to.

He was huddled in a corner, his coat draped around him for any chance of warmth. It was kinda hard when his hands were tied around his back with ropes.

He could have cut through the ropes- maybe- but he doubts that would help him in this case.

He had heard one of the crew women comment how he "looked like hell".

Which was true. His hair was wild, his clothes were dirty with ash and mud, he had bags under his eyes and dirt on his face.

Yeah, he's looked better.

As he shivered, he could see his own breath as he struggled to breath fully. He doesn't remember the endless pocket of space being this cold.

A few days ago, Ezra found a few holes in the pirate ship, looking outside into the vastness of the Etherium. He could look through his cell bars, and up onto the deck, but he couldn't see much, other than the pirates working or drinking.

He could also see down the hallway of the ship's lower deck. There were a few more cells. Ezra knew there were people in them, he had heard them scream and beg for mercy, but now, it was so quiet. He didn't know if they were alive or not.

He had watched one try to pick the locks of their own cell door. Ezra couldn't see what happened to them when one of the pirates saw it, but he could hear it, and-

It didn't end well.

So, Ezra decided that trying to escape was useless.

He wanted to go home.

But now, he was a million miles from any source of a safe haven. The bracelet from Alani had been ripped off of him when he was first thrown into the brig.

His wrist that once housed the divine piece of jewelry was red and sore. Ezra could barely move it without wincing in paint. It hurt a lot more than it should.

It wasn't broken, at least, he doesn't think it is, sprained maybe.

Ezra spent the first few sleepless nights wishing- praying that this was all a horrible dream.

But this wasn't a dream, this was reality.

-and he was living it.

Ezra's ears perked up as he heard the crew- no the Captain yell. He quietly stepped towards the edge of his cell.

It was the masked soldier.

But now, there were three of them. The one in the middle of the trio faced the Captain, the other two silently standing beside their- what Ezra was gonna assume their leader, or boss. Whatever it was, their outfit was different compared to the others. Their helmet had a section of red, and they had a bit more complexity to their outfit, more design.

Clearly they had some kind of command over the other two.

Ezra noticed how the soldiers all looked remotely human, having no designation of being anything else.

"When will I be getting paid?" The Captain, a tall woman who looked mostly human with big black Feline like ears, spoke, obviously frustrated with the stoic trio.

"Soon, Captain." The 'soldiers' voice was almost robotic, the mask probably changed the owner's original voice to hide their identity. "For now, make your way to hanger B. From there, everything will be taken care of."

The Captain was still unimpressed, but hid her impatience a bit better.

It's like these guys know exactly what to say to get the pirate to back down. It was almost fascinating.

The 'soldier' turned to leave, then stopped.

"You'll need these."

They tossed the Captain a simple looking gas mask that only covered the bottom of her face.

The Captain stared at the mask, then looked back up at the 'soldiers'.

"This better be worth my time," She said.

"It will be, Captain."

"I risk way too much getting your boss new… workers." The Captain hesitated, seemingly on edge. She put the mask on.

"Oh, was my assistant no help to you?" The main 'soldier' cocked their head to the side. Ezra could almost hear a bit of emotion in their voice.

That "assistant" must be the other 'soldier' from the attack.

"One more thing," the Captain started. "I'm keeping two of the captives. Consider it a

Ezra couldn't hear the rest of their conversation, getting distracted by the slight commotion below deck.

The gas masks were being passed out to the crew. One of the 'soldiers' came down into the brig. Ezra sunk back into the darkness.

Ezra looked out of the hole in the cell wall. Where there should have been beautiful blues and purples, matching with a sky full of stars, there was a harsh orange and red taking over, drowning out the peace.

It was like they were flying straight into a cosmic storm. Thunder crackled every few seconds.

There were huge dark gray and black asteroids beginning to fill the skies.

The fumes in the air seeped into the ship, causing Ezra to cough violently.

His fist covered his mouth and his other arm clutched his stomach. The air was filled with dust, and was slowly beginning to thin, practically disappearing by the second.

Where in the seven galaxies was he?

The cell door opened, the iron bars creaking as they were lifted off the ground. The 'soldier' grabbed Ezra by the arm, pulling him forward. Ezra struggled against their hold, but his injured wrist and lack of oxygen was taking a toll on him.

They grabbed his face, to which Ezra stopped struggling against them.

They shoved a mask onto his face, which suddenly made breathing a lot easier.

Ezra gasped, letting the breathable air fill his lungs.

The 'soldier' let him fall to his knees, watching him closely as he stabilized.

They then left to go check on the other prisoners.

Ezra huddled back into the corner. He picked at the gas mask. It was too tight, and he couldn't help but attempt to adjust it, although to no avail.

He leaned back, defeated. His head pressed against the wall.

There was no light in the lower deck. Only source was the storm up top, but even then, it only left his cell dimly lit.

He sighed. With the mask on, one couldn't tell the way his breath stuttered, and how he was on the verge of tears once again.

Why did they give him the mask?

He was just a prisoner. What was the point of keeping him alive?

That thought sent a shiver down his spine.

He doesn't wanna die.

Not anytime soon, at least.

He sniffed.

Had he just stayed inside, or didn't even run away at all, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

He assumes that everyone inside the ship made it out ok, right? He's never heard of pirates slaughtering every passenger on a ship before, and Alani would tell him about all kinds of pirate exploits.

Alani was safe, she had to be. She was inside the ship when the attack happened. She was in her room. Her room had a safe room.

She was ok.

Eleanor and Lucius were ok.

Mr. Keen was ok.

He wasn't ok.

He wrapped his arms around his small torso.

He could easily be dead in the next twenty-four hours or less. He should have been dead the moment he was brought onto the ship, but he wasn't.

So, he was gonna take that as a sign of luck. That just maybe, he would survive this.

Maybe?

Ezra pushed himself off the floor and began pacing around. Alright, time to think logically.

What if he picked the lock? Sure, it didn't work for the other… Ezra swallowed. Captives… but maybe-

No, no… Alani used to tell him stories about doomed sailors joining pirate crews to avoid their untimely demise? Perhaps he could strike a deal with the Captain, or those weird soldier looking… people.

He paused.

What was he thinking? This would never work, that was stuff of sick fantasy, something parents read to their children before bed!

He leaned against the wall and sank back to the floor.

What was the point?

He didn't have the guts. He didn't even have the guts to plead for mercy with the other captives. He hadn't spoken an intelligible word since he was very harshly thrown into the brig several days ago.

He's pretty sure his side was terribly bruised up from that, but he really couldn't see anything well enough to check under his shirt.

He winced as he gently touched his side.

The pain would be over soon.

He doesn't wanna die.

Sleeping it off would be the best decision he could make right now. He won't feel the pirates- or the 'soldiers', slitting his throat in his final moments, because it'll be like he is already dead.

He doesn't wanna die. But he will.

Tears filled Ezra's eyes. He pushed his face into his sleeves, as exhaustion overcame him.

-

When Ezra awoke, he was met with yelling, screaming, cries, and the sound of a few stray gunshots.

One of the pirates immediately pulled him to his feet.

It was hard to see at first. Everything was blurry, and so quiet. It was like the sounds in front of him were happening a mile away.

He was led off of the ship.

Finally regaining his senses, he looked around. They were in this large… hanger?

The ship was docked inside wherever they were. Behind the ship, there was a large metal door. That's probably how they got the ship in.

Those 'soldiers' from before led the way, but now there were dozens of them scattered around the hanger.

There were more pirates, not from the crew that had originally kidnapped him. There were also somewhat normal looking people. They were screaming, crying, begging to be set free.

By the gods.

He was in an underground traffickers ring.

At least he thinks he is.

It seemed a lot more organized than one would expect, it almost seemed like this was any other cargo port, transporting and unloading cargo, well, except this one was underground.

One of the 'soldiers' shot a gun in the air. A random man fell to the ground, dead.

A warning.

He was gonna throw up.

Ezra only got a glimpse at the twisted operation because next thing he knew, he and the other captives from the Escardian Jewel were being escorted down a long dark tunnel.

They had left the pirates behind, and were being accompanied only by the 'soldiers'.

Ezra glanced around at the other prisoners. He wasn't seeing any familiar faces. They must have served on the Escardian Jewel, right?

Until…

"Kid?" Cecil whispered. He glanced back at Ezra, as he himself was walking in front of him. Ezra let out a small gasp, and made his way closer to Cecil.

Finally, a familiar face.

Ezra heard Cecil curse under his breath.

"Stay close, kid. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

Ezra was well aware that Cecil was lying to make him feel safe, and honestly, it almost worked. But Ezra did huddle closer behind the older spacer.

Their current hallway ended, split into two; one going right, the other going left. Ezra still couldn't see what was beyond either hallways due to the ends of it being filled with shadow.

"On the ground." One of the 'soldiers' commanded; Ezra is pretty sure the 'soldiers' were guards, or something relating to the occupation.

The captives were forced onto their knees, guns to their backs if they attempted to try and resist.

Ezra closed his eyes tightly, trying not to break into tears. He hung his head low, waiting for it to be over.

Ezra heard the sound of two people walking down the hallway towards them. He looked up, looking over the newcomers as they came into view. They stopped only a few feet away from him, at the start of the line.

They looked around thirty to forty years old.

The one who was speaking was closest to him.

The man was part of the Octopus Vulgaris species. In replacement for hair, he had long tentacles flowing down his back and over his shoulders.

His skin was a pastel teal color, while his tentacle hair was a darker, a bit more desaturated navy blue. The suction part of each tentacle was the same color as his skin.

He had dark blue gills lining his jawline and neck in a group of three on each side.

He had bright green eyes with yellow pupils matched with a bastardly grin full of sharp teeth.

He wore black boots, baggy dark gray pants, a red fabric wrapped around his waist, slightly holding up a white linen shirt with a popped collar; and he wore all of that under a long black coat that almost reached his feet. The coat had golden buttons on the sleeve and front. He also had a black captain's hat.

With the way the guards stood straight and quiet, bowing their heads as he stopped in front of them, showed that he was in a position of power.

He had his left hand gesturing to the captives, while his right hand held a cigarette that was releasing unnatural bright green smoke.

"Don't be shy, Henry. Pick anyone, really." The man said, turning to his less amused companion.

"Maddox, I see no use for another assistant." Henry replied with a slight scoff against his emotionless tone of voice.

Henry was some type of mostly alien bat species, but also with a few small physical attributes from Vulpes Zerda (fennec foxes).

His skin was an unhealthy desaturated light purple. His large ears were a dark purple. His tired eyes were a bright yellow.

His three claw fingers tightened.

His dark purple wings grew closer to him defensively.

His unruly black hair was a mess, and spilling over his face.

He wore a brown vest with a white shirt that was stained with dirt and oil underneath it. A red cloth that matched Maddox's poked out from under the vest's neckline.

He also had on old, busted up black boots with a bunch of straps; with black cargo pants held up by a brown belt hanging over them.

"Oh, come on, old friend, don't be like that!" Maddox lightly wrapped the arm that was holding his cigarette around Henry's shoulder.

"I understand training these doomed souls is already hard work- but, if this one lasts as long as your old one, well, I suppose I'll be forced to leave you alone, wouldn't that be a pity?"

Henry rolled his eyes, a scowl forming on his scarred and tired face.

"It's a shame to put all these poor workers to waste! I'll pick for you, since you want to be so ungrateful." Maddox began trailing down the line, looking each captive over quickly, then dismissing them with such carelessness.

"This one? Perhaps, this one? Ooo, what about this guy, look at him!"

It was sick.

This guy was pawning them off like pets.

Ezra tensed at the thought of what would happen when Maddox throws you away, seeing no use for you.

Maddox went through a few more captives, finding them all lackluster.

Then Maddox stopped in front of Ezra.

Maddox knelt down to the young felines level. Maddox's empty hand settled under Ezra's chin, forcing the kid to look up at him. Maddox turned Ezra's face side to side, looking him over carefully.

The way Maddox looked him dead in the eye made Ezra go cold. He went still under Maddox's touch.

The older man grinned, all sharp teeth showing. Maddox breathed out a storm of green smoke onto Ezra's face. Ezra squeezed his eyes closed and did his best to breathe in the toxic fumes.

He always hated the smell of smoke.

Maddox stood back up, leaning into Henry.

"This one is perfect. Young and impressionable, you won't have to undo all that moral."

Henry looked at him, his expression almost unreadable. There was wariness there, a speck of concern and fear that was quickly replaced with a stoic facade.

"I told you, I don't want another assistant." Henry spat the word assistant with a cold glare.

Maddox hummed, and shrugged.

"Well, if you don't want him…" Maddox's eyes lingered on Ezra, his smile coming back.

"I can make use of him."

Maddox was about to bend down to Ezra again, but Henry pulled him back, a swift hand grabbing his shoulder.

"N-no!" Henry said, a bit too urgently. He retracted his hand quickly. Henry realized his error, and went back to his original phlegmatic persona.

"I'll take him."

Maddox's smug expression fell for a moment, then it returned after seeing his friend's distress. He clapped his hands together.

"Wonderful!" Maddox's free hand patted Henry on the shoulder. Henry's jaw tightened as Maddox leaned closer.

"That's what I like to hear."

Maddox turned to one of the guards.

"Let Omen deal with the rest of them. Bring the kid."

One of the guards grabbed Ezra from under his arms, forcing him to his feet. He flinched from the pain in his wrist and bruised abdomen as he was roughly shoved. It hurt, but he did his best not to show it.

"Don't let them know you're hurt."

His mother used to say after getting in street fights with lowly drunk scammers or police officers. She had a poor habit of doing that, one that Ruckus and Gelm had taken on in a heartbeat.

Ezra did his best to walk by himself, but the guard kept on pushing him forward, it was hard for him to stay on his feet.

He didn't know where he was going, but he had a bad feeling- all over- the merchants on Drion always said "never let them take you to a second location" and here he was.

They left the rest of captives and guards as they wandered deport into the dark hallway, and probably closer to Ezra's untimely death.

Maddox mentioned something about an assistant, so maybe Ezra wouldn't die!

Or, at least, not today. Those facts did not make him feel any better.

He gulped. They were beginning to approach the end of the tunnel, and Ezra could hear the faint sound of clanking, wirrling, and other sounds of mechanics working.

The light of the room blinded him as they entered. Everyone else seemed unphased, because truly, the room wasn't that bright at all. Ezra had been locked up in that dark cell for so long, it started to take its toll.

When Ezra regained his sight, he gasped in wonder despite his situation.

They were walking through this huge hanger, bunker- whatever.

There were people- somewhat normal-looking people- transporting a bunch of boxes filled with, most likely stolen cargo.

Guards with checklists went around, finishing tasks as they went by.

The workers moved out of the way for Maddox, creating a pathway as he passed.

Ezra looks around anxiously, trying to keep up with Maddox and Henry. He couldn't help but notice the long stares from the workers around him.

The workers looked dead, inside and out. Scarred in the face, beat down and burnt out.

After what seemed like an eternity of following Maddox and Henry and not being able to see where they were headed, they stopped in front of a door.

Henry knocked two times.

After several moments of waiting, the sounds of locks being unlocked could be heard from the other side. An android opens the door.

The almost rusty, silver robot was a simple work of machinery, with a simple design, and a few dark gray paint streaks running down their frame, arms and legs.

The droid moves out of the way, allowing them to pass. They enter a much smaller room, though still considered big in Ezra's personal opinion.

This room was… a lot messier- a lot less blood, which Ezra guessed is a good thing.

It smelt like oil and smoke.

There was one large area in the corner taking up around half of the room, which was leveled up by two steps. It was a workplace; one desk going around that sector of the room. It was filled with random spare parts, open journals, a few rum bottles.

A single stray chair was pushed away from the desk, considerable in a rush.

There was machinery everywhere.

A large clump of a machine- Ezra believes it's some furnace looking engine- was hanging low from the ceiling by cords and wires.

Pipes laced the ceiling, some closer to the floor than others.

The only light igniting the room were built in lamps and bulbs, and there were very few.

On the other side of the room, curtains and cloth were hung up to separate the main room, making a smaller area, for purposes Ezra couldn't see.

Maddox dismissed the guard, leaving the three- four, including the android- alone.

Maddox studied the quiet room, before finally speaking.

"Where are your companions?" Maddox asked Henry, but it seems he already knew exactly where they were, and he just needed to hear it out loud.

"Running errands." Henry walked up to his desk, and picked up a medium sized piece of busted machinery that looked like a ripped out power generator. He fidgeted with it. He did all this while avoiding eye contact with Maddox.

"We needed more parts for the engine."

"Well then, I hope you're prepared to break the news to them about your teams…" Maddox glanced at Ezra. "New member."

Henry still didn't turn around, but his fingers stopped fidgeting with the core as he listened intently to Maddox.

"I'll leave you to it, old friend!" Maddox turned to leave, but not before getting another look at Ezra.

After the sound of the door clicking shut, Ezra heard a faint gasp, a held in breath release, come from Henry.

Henry roughly pulled the chair closer to him, and took a seat. His head hung low, defeated. He ran a hand through his unruly hair, and made distressed hand motions as he mumbled something under his breath.

Ezra looked at the door.

Maybe he could escape while he still had the chance-

He looked back at Henry, who was now staring directly at him.

His heart almost stopped.

Ezra thought he was about to have a heart attack.

Henry stood up, not taking his eyes off of him. Ezra took a step back, and Henry took a step forward. Henry froze.

Henry sighed, raising a hand to rub his forehead.

"Just…" It was like he was struggling to speak. "Just get out, and wait. L-o-9-3, take him out back."

The android, L-o-9-3, nodded, placing an assertive metal hand on Ezra's shoulder, and guiding him to the smaller room sectioned off by curtains.

The room was smaller than the main one. There was one cot in a secluded corner with a red blanket draped over it, and across from it was a big sand colored hammock hanging low.

The place was scattered with personal items, clothes, journals, random nick nacks, and obviously, machine parts and tools. There were a few boxes and barrels in the corner.

There were a few unlit stray lanterns, one on a barrel in a far corner, and another next to the cot.

Ezra had no idea who these people were. He didn't understand what Maddox meant by "new team member". It was clear as day that Maddox was referring to him, but Ezra was just a kid, he really couldn't do anything that was worth putting to use!

But then… putting the pieces together…

The machines and tools, with the faint smell of oil and smoke-

Were these guys engineers?

L-o-9-3 went around the room, organizing a few things, making the room seem slightly cleaner. The robot did not acknowledge him in the slightest.

"E-excuse me-" the android walked right past him, out of the room.

"Ah."

Now, Ezra stood alone. He looked around once more, the feeling of dread filling his insides again.

He took a seat on one of the barrels.

He needed to get out of here.

But how?

He could wait till Henry was preoccupied and sneak past. But then where would he go? By some miracle could he convince Maddox to take him home?

Would he even live long enough to see anyone in a position of power here.

Should he just accept the fact that he was gonna… die here?

Ezra wrapped his arms around his thighs, underneath his legs. His tail wrapped around his legs.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

If he was gonna die anyway, might as well be worth the shot.

What could they possibly do to him now?