Chapter 18.
Unclear.
The planet below was quite a sight. A rich purple atmosphere with bright orange vortexes at the poles.
It was of no shock to him that the scanners warned against trying to land, but he could pick up transmissions from the surface and on the side facing away from the nearest star, he could see lights of civilisation.
Garagus imagined they must all be living in airtight networks of tunnels and capsules. If he had time and a ship capable of going down for a look, the temptation was there.
If for nothing else, to see what the attraction of staying on such an inhospitable world.
He suspected it must be good in natural resources. The colonies are probably mining something.
"Anyway…" Checking his manifest and rechecking his current coordinates, he made the final touches to the drop off.
Namely, synchronise the ship to follow the planet, activate and set the beacon on the cargo to the correct frequency. And then finally…
"detach…" Pulling on the two release leavers, Garagus returned to the cockpit and slowly pulled the ship away from the cargo. It seemed to sit there motionless against the planet behind it, but in actuality it was in a perpetual state of freefall, never to land and waiting to be collected.
The contact will show up after Garagus leaves, so he didn't want to give anyone an excuse to get annoyed with him.
The task is done, so it was full speed back the way he came.
Transmissions back to the station were a bit glitchy on the way to Rhuba. The blackhole he encountered along the way was eating signal waves and distorting them.
"Can you may## lightsp##d out # ##ttle bit? Give y###self a c###n shot at the st###on?"
Garagus' jaw hung open as he tried to decode what Rhuba tried to tell him.
"I have no idea what you're saying. It's all-,"
"What?"
"I said I can't hear you because It's all jumbled."
"Sorry, I c### hear you."
"I said I'm sleeping with another woman!"
"You F###ing pr##!" Rhuba scorned.
"Of course you heard that part." Garagus sighed. Instead of talking, he decided to try sending it in a message.
Send failed. And again. And again.
Rhuba stared at him, grumbling incomprehensible growls and staticky nonsense.
It was annoying that if he followed her advice and shot off course just a little, it'll take him a bit longer to come back. But with lightspeed, it shouldn't take longer than a few minutes to overtake a star.
The only reason Garagus had trouble the first time is because he had to manually avoid the crumbling planets being chewed up, turning minutes into days.
"#'m going to end the c#ll now. Talk to y## when ### get here."
"Wait! Can you tell them, Tell them? that I'm going to be, Off Route, just a little, until I get passed the blackhole." Trying his best to speak clearly was annoying. Any other time he'd feel condescending speaking to her that way.
"#es, I'## let them know."
"Okay, see you soon." As soon as the call ended, Garagus drummed his fingers on the desk and threw himself against the back wall.
His body bounced off and floated around the cabin until he drifted onto his bed.
All he could do was wait for when his next course correction would be needed. To that end, an alarm will let him know.
Boredom really was a killer.
Holding his breath outside the ship was becoming easier. He'd got to the point where re-enacting previous fights with Rhuba could be done in the vacuum of space.
The thing he wasn't looking forward to is the landing at the station. Artificial gravity will go from feeling nothing to full on planet's surface in a second. It'll be a kick in the teeth, but Saiyans do adjust quickly.
But will it be quick enough to keep up with Rhuba?
Despite the glitches on screen, Garagus was noticing her toned arms. She's committed to beating him and she's more than willing to let gravity fatigue be the catalyst of her win.
Compared with his own, he knew himself he was losing definition in his arms and legs.
Garagus gripped his opposing elbows and started pulling. Fighting against his own muscles was pretty much the most physical exercise he could get.
The energy output is a secret he wanted to hit her with when she's about to win, and it's not exactly subtle. There's no way for people to know the scale of which Rhuba and Garagus hit each other without being caught literally between their blows, but an energy blast would draw a few heads.
Staring at his hands, Garagus imagined if there was a way to attack her with energy without shooting her with it. Maybe.
Moving through the airlock into outside space.
So different from the first few times, Garagus held a confident smile as the room depressurised.
With so little need for fear, he swung himself up onto the ship's hull, essentially standing on the roof.
Travelling at lightspeed didn't even bother him much. In a vacuum, there was no resistance to blow him off the back.
The perfect chance to test something.
A small ball of pure energy shined bright in his palm. With a powerful enough blast, he knew he could kill Rhuba.
Holding back was key, but all his self-control was based on being the stronger. If Rhuba hits a little harder, he'll need to rethink things.
He got excited, thinking of the time they'll face off again.
His first move, charging at her and firing a blast aiming at her legs.
She'll dodge, left or right is easy, because he planned to fire and immediately follow the blast from the air and swipe with his hand, knocking her to the ground.
If she jumps to dodge, he'll need to anticipate her height and kick her back to the ground.
Once she's on the ground, pin her down, force her to submit and then…
Garagus watched at a star as the ship passed by.
The line between sparring and foreplay had never been more blurred in his mind. Time alone in space will do that to a man.
Oh well.
Taking aim at the star, Garagus charged up everything he had to fire it all in one ultimate blast.
With nothing but the shocks in his palms and the blinding flash as the beam shot out towards the celestial body, Garagus watched with a grin as the once giant star, didn't take notice of his attack in the slightest because it's a star and he's shooting puny lasers from his hands.
But even still, at this distance, all Garagus could think of was the sight of his planet's destruction.
While he could only shoot his 'puny' lasers, Freeza was able to create a miniature sun and throw it at the Saiyans.
To live in a universe like that is unthinkable, yet it's reality.
Feeling his chest start to ache for a breath, Garagus turned from the star only to be dumbfounded by what was in front of him.
He had no idea his ship was being intercepted, had no idea he was the focus of all onboard the other vessel, but that didn't matter. They'd seen him.
Squinting his eyes, he could see movement on the bridge of the other ship. With no better idea, he waved to them.
Jumping back down to the airlock, Garagus repressurised the room and reached the transmitter.
Opening comms with the other ship, he was told to prepare for boarding.
"I don't have the room for a boarding party." He tried to keep it light, but his tone conveyed how he wouldn't be boarded willingly.
"We are Officers of the Galactic Patrol, cooperate or we'll be forced to use force!"
"wow, nice read Joran." Said a distant voice.
"shut up…" Whispered the muffled voice of the caller.
"I think someone's holding the button." Garagus looked out at the other ship. There were no markings on the side that delegated authority or demanded respect. Even Freeza markings would be something.
"Look this is clearly your first day on the job so why don't you reel it back, before I decide to board you?"
"Are you wearing a safety harness?"
"No?"
"You have ten seconds to put it on."
Garagus watched them through the windows. He hoped they could see his face. If not,
"Or how about you fly the other way? Space not big enough for everyone? I'm just trying to do my job so I can-"
Everything went white. Garagus was floating through the cabin with a pounding bump on his head as he flailed helplessly trying to get his bearings.
As he drifted by a window, he saw a blue light shining from the other ship. The next thing he noticed was a head shaped dent on the wall where he must have collided once the ship was snared.
"Know what, this is a good thing…" Garagus sighed as he righted himself towards the ground. After all, it's not every day one gets a good reason to see another ship up close, and if it's functional for his and Rhuba's needs, "I don't mind taking it off their hands."
A hollow metallic noise signifying that the airlock had been clamped meant that Garagus didn't have long before his guests would arrive.
Taking the fight to them, Garagus walked through the door and was met with the view of the ramp leading to the other ship.
It was more of a tunnel, airtight of course, clamped with magnets on the exterior of his vessel.
At the far end were uniformed soldiers aiming rifles at him.
"Identify yourself and surrender or we will be forced to open fire!"
Garagus got ready to float towards them but stopped himself right before leaving his own ship.
All of them were standing or crouching on the floor, meaning Their ship had gravity.
The threshold could be boarding their ship or entering the tunnel.
He trusted he could react to the sudden change, but he didn't want to risk damage to the borrowed ship or the one he intended to commandeer.
Surrendering is the best course.
"My name is Yagon." He didn't want to give the same false name to these 'patrollers' as the people at the station.
Once he had his hands out, he was told to come forward.
As soon as his foot was on the ramp, he felt weight come back to his body. But not much.
It felt so strange to stand once more. In one way it was daunting, but also relieving. A confirmed sense of direction with up and down.
"Slowly walk towards us, Slowly!"
Garagus took careful steps, and with each step closer, the gravity got stronger and stronger. Until he started to feel like he was back on the station.
Actually, with time to take in his surroundings, the tunnel did have markings. The universal symbol for gravity with a steadily increasing volume for every section of the tunnel.
The far more gradual change in G forces was nice, and more assuring than just having it thrown on him at once.
"So, how can I help you, officers?" Garagus counted each one, sizing them up and deciding which ones to take down first.
"First of all, is there anyone else we should know about on your vessel?"
"Just me."
"Then you've broken several more laws of space travel in the last few minutes than we originally suspected!"
"What laws? I have done nothing."
"Exiting a ship without a suit is illegal for air breathers such as yourself!" Stated the Galactic Patrolman. "Only races and beings recognised as Vacuum safe buy Loshis can do so!"
"Who's Loshis?" Garagus demanded.
"So, you're not even qualified under the Laws Of Safe Health In Space act? That would explain your other transgressions against Loshis."
Garagus was getting tired of these clowns. But they'd piqued his interest.
"Exactly what crimes have I committed?"
"For starters, by being in the vacuum of space without a suit, you are charged with Resisting a breath! Then by leaving the ship completely unmanned while your ride on top, you're also doing what the young people call, Ghost riding the ship!"
Garagus felt himself edging ever closer to adding mass murder to his charges.
"And last of all, your vessel is listed as stolen!"
Tilting his head, Garagus rethought things.
"Excuse me?"
Leaning on the railing on the upper catwalk, Rhuba watched her ship continue to get repairs.
The magnetic clamps could move the ship freely, as well as flip and roll it for easier access.
"Miss, you're going to want to stand back."
"How come?" Rhuba followed the worker back towards the main dock as a siren along with lights started to flair up.
Everyone seemed to be putting away their tools and vacating the dock.
"In about three minutes, the gravity field on this portion of the dock is going to be turned off. Remote drones will do the heavy lifting and welding for now."
Rhuba had been mesmerised by how the clamps manoeuvred ships with relative ease before, but now they were hardly trying to move the weightless objects around while drones effortlessly attached the outer hull.
She was a little tempted to jump in there and float about.
But not getting in trouble is the least she could do with Garagus out there putting himself through hell.
Instead of making a pest of herself, Rhuba returned to the entertainment centre.
Staying clear of the casino area, she went to another floor that was crowded at the later hours, but at the moment seemed quieter.
Walking in, her eyes were drawn to a long narrow platform with shirtless men flexing their muscles to a cheering audience.
"Alright!" Rhuba charged in and managed to push herself to the front.
The thumping music matched their movements as they showed off their bodies. Impressive specimens, sure, but Rhuba wanted to see some action.
"C'mon!" Rhuba cheered, pounding her fist on the stage. "Get on with it!"
The muscular fellow winked at her, then with a quick motion… set the crowd on fire with cheers and 'whoop-whoops'.
Rhuba sunk under the crowd and escaped through the back, traumatised.
"Are you okay?" Asked one of the waitresses. "You look like you saw a ghost."
"I thought they were going to fight, but he's waving his thing about…"
"Fight? They're strippers." The waitress failed to hide her laughter. "Women's night is our second most popular attraction on this floor."
"What's the most popular?"
"Every other night…" The waitress cleared her throat. The majority of residents on the station are men, most of which haven't been on a planet in a while. So the ladies that work the club usually get a far bigger turnout than the men.
"What's the point of building all that muscle if they're not going to use them?" Rhuba sighed, looking at the strippers on stage. The cheering women were getting annoying, especially now that both of them have stripped clean of their clothes. Both of them were showered with paper credits.
"Oh…" Rhuba imagined Garagus on stage. Him making money this way would mean they could keep in touch.
"Getting into it?" Asked the smirking waitress.
"Hmm? No no, I'm just thinking of my man. Unless space has made him soft, he could make a killing here."
"Oh, is your husband out doing deliveries too?" The waitress motioned her head for Rhuba to follow her to the bar where they can talk as she works. "We were in need of repairs when we found this place, he's been out for just over two years, and I've been working the floors trying to do my part too."
Rhuba narrowed her eyes.
"We've met, haven't we?"
"Hmm?" The waitress tilted her head. "Oh, you were the lady without a token bucket?" Her face flashed many emotions. There was still a chance of suspicion of working together. "I'm Yena."
"My name is Rhu, If your husband is out working deliveries, do you need to be doing this?"
"I used to enjoy the resort but after a few months, I needed something to occupy my time with. The work isn't the worst, and the tips are good." She tried to focus on reuniting with him, and telling him that he can take a shorter term contract because of the money she earned to pay off their debt. "Have you had any more luck in the casino?"
"I've not gone back since those wins. I put everything into paying the repairs. Other than my runs and watching the builders I have nothing to do with myself."
"Well, if you want work. We're always hiring staff. It's not just waitressing either, if you know trades like engineering or something like that. What did you do on your ship?"
"Admin stuff. Logging reports, navigation, reading scanners, but I did some practice being a co-pilot. Other than that, domestic stuff."
"Well domestic and hospitality work will keep you busy, and their standards are much higher in the hotel than anything you're used to on a personal ship."
Rhuba thought about the nights she and Garagus rolled into bed with the cover still on the floor. High standards probably won't work for her.
"There is also, stripping…" Biting her lip, she could see the look Rhuba was giving. "not for everyone. I have friends that do it, they actually like it."
Looking back at the two, now four on stage, the men were now dancing with two women from the crowd. Grinding on each other.
"If someone did that to me, I'd break their legs."
Yena laughed, admitting to having the same feelings herself.
"But you're completely safe. See those guys in the back?" Following Yena's gaze, Rhuba noted people she'd failed to spot when she first entered. Getting a fright, she turned away, hiding her face.
"Are those… Freeza soldiers?"
"What? No no, Freeza doesn't patrol this far out."
Edging her head back around, Rhuba could see the tall dark blue-skinned aliens that looked so much like one of the pair recruiting for the Ginyus.
"Those two are security. The guys on stage right now are strong enough to handle a few drunk gals on a night out, but if things get a little too rough, they step in immediately. Especially when our girls are being harassed."
"security?" Rhuba glanced back. She'll need to downplay herself a little but maybe that will suit her. "How would I get involved?"
"oh, I don't know. The security team are a separate entity from all the other roles. We, the builders, domestics and floor staff all answer to our bosses, but security on all levels answer to the tops."
"Could I ask them?"
Yena and Rhuba stared at the security duo. They had their eyes peeled and focused on the dancers, but every now and then they'd do a quick scan for other issues in the room.
"They don't often talk to customers. They chat to us and can be a little protective sometimes."
"hmm." Rhuba wondered if becoming a waitress or dancer could be a foot in the door towards reaching security if they won't even talk to her otherwise. But if not, she'd feel like a failure to quit so soon after starting.
Rhuba just noticed Yena raise her hand. One of the security boys started walking over. His eyes lacked the typical pupils that most species have, but even still Rhuba felt his attention was laser focused on her as he marched over.
"Everything okay, Yena?"
"Just chatting, this lady wants to know how to become security."
Rhuba felt she'd jumped the gun with her plans. Yena asking for her was just too simple and easy for her, apparently.
"Is that all?" He looked her up and down. True his arms were thicker than Garagus' before he left for space. But build isn't the only factor in battle. "Can you handle yourself?"
"I've not sparred since coming to this station, but my man and I used to be active bodyguards for our old captain."
"A bodyguard? You?"
Rhuba cleared her throat. A demonstration would settle things, but there's a limit to what she's allowed to do. No flying, no energy blasts, no breaking things or people.
"I don't think I could take on you, but I'm sure I could show other guests to the door easily enough."
"She has a point. If she can handle the typical customers without anyone, getting… hurt…" Yena slowly dropped what she was saying. It's not her job to hire people. Plus, she might still be accused of helping Rhu make her winnings if she's not careful.
Then again, her winnings will have been accounted for when she paid of part of her debt. If she did use all and not half, then there are no grounds to say she split the money with anyone.
"Even still it's not up to me. I wouldn't get your hopes up." Looking over his shoulder, he excused himself and went back to watching over everyone else alongside his partner.
"darnit…" Rhuba leaned on the counter.
"sorry, can I get you a drink?"
"Don't have money." Rhuba knew from reading the brochure over and over that her complementary refreshments from the hotel don't include drinks from the bar, or meals lacking a black star on the menu.
"No money at all?"
"I spent it all on repairs. I want us to go as soon as possible, so I'm living as inexpensively as I can."
Yena's eyes shifted slightly. She knew that if Rhuba's husband was working off the debt, paying extra towards it is probably down the drain. They're not going to renegotiate the work once it's already in motion.
Telling her that might be upsetting.
"Listen, how long have you got before your man comes back?"
"He's on his way but it'll take ages… Then he's got another ship to do drop-offs in…" She tutted, counting the days before she sees Garagus again. And when she does it'll likely only before a day or two before he goes again for an even longer time.
The hardest part, and what makes these times without him different to before when he went on space adventures, is not having Cressin to talk to either.
The ongoing chat with Yena is the longest she's held a conversation in person since Garagus left.
"I'm allowed a free drink on shift." Pouring two half glasses, Yena slid one to her new acquaintance. "there you go."
Rhuba accepted and downed her drink, nearly keeling over as fire burned her throat.