Leyna Edymn had never left Lysatra before she turned sixteen, but when she did it was because her semi-new boyfriend Tynan Mendax who was one of the most prominent pilots of star cruisers for the rich in the galaxy. As such, he always got a free ticket for a plus one on every voyage in his assignment docket and she was thrilled when he cemented their dating status by giving her his current ones. She packed all the nicest clothes she had and departed with him.
Their first stop on the journey was Thune, a brown and blue planet full of all kinds of different species from Wild Space and beyond mixed together. Once docked at the space port, Leyna went on a tour of Thune City with Tynan and noticed several other of the passengers were also there. Shops of all kinds lined the main streets, filled with all kinds of goods to tempt visiting travelers into spending their money. Tynan suggested lunch at a Twi'lek restaurant, which they enjoyed together and headed back out to explore. Towards the end of the day, it was time to head back to the star cruiser and lines of beings wanting to embark waited patiently at the sales booths. Most of the species looked familiar from their walk around Thune City, while two of them weren't although they were certainly Near-Human by their build.
"Tynan look, they have blue skin." Leyna whispered.
"Must be Pantorans, since that one guy has pastel green hair. I've met a few on trips to their home world Pantora in the Outer Rim. Close resemblance to the description we've heard Chiss look like, but their eyes are gold or black and you can see how vibrant in contrast the hair is. The one wearing the hood and shaded lenses must be from the darker side of their moon where there's usually very little sunlight."
She listened to his explanation with interest and noticed that the one with the protective glasses looked at them. "Let's go introduce ourselves."
Tynan shrugged. "Sure, they speak Basic." He walked with her over to the strangers and held out a hand. "Welcome to Wild Space. I'm Tynan and this is my girlfriend Leyna."
The man with the bright hair beamed and shook hands enthusiastically while the other bowed formally. "Nice to make your acquaintances. I'm Gaur and this is my cousin Atun. We came from Pantora to see your part of the galaxy. You look familiar Tynan, have you visited our planet?"
"A couple times within the last year when the star cruiser I was piloting went out that way for a tour. You might have seen me in passing getting some supplies at the space port."
"Yes, that is very likely. My betrothed owns a fine jewelry store over there and I frequently visit while we plan our nuptials. This is my last vacation as a bachelor, so my cousin and I decided to make the most of it."
Tynan nodded, though Leyna thought he looked a little uncomfortable. "Stag party, huh? Not a bad idea to give your single days a send off."
"Gaur seems to think I need to get out more." Atun said dryly. "I only agreed to come along to keep him out of trouble."
"Oh yeah, I forgot it's a tradition on Pantora to have a travel companion to vouch for your behavior."
"Most don't remember such a small detail from a few visits to our moon, I am impressed."
"Humans sometimes still do that too." Leyna thought of one of her friends back home who'd done that with their sibling. "Looks like you're next in line, so we better let you get your tickets."
Gaur nodded. "It's been good to converse with you two, hopefully we can talk more later."
"Anything is possible." Tynan replied casually and led Leyna away into the ship. "There's something suspicious about them."
"What makes you say that?"
Tynan looked down at her seriously with his grey eyes. "Because last time I visited Pantora, there wasn't a jewelry store in the space port strip."
She shrugged. "His fianceƩ might have been in the process of buying or renting the location at the time and he didn't know when you visited, so he spoke of it in the present tense."
"Maybe. I've got to go get ready for my shift, I'll come see you when I'm rotated out."
"Okay." She kissed him and watched him disappear down one of the corridors to his room. Part of her wondered if Tynan's discomfort earlier was because the Pantorans had thought he was familiar, while the other part reminded her he'd been traveling a lot longer than she and of course he might be recognized in passing for reasons other than he might have taken a girl there before he'd met Leyna. He didn't like to talk about his previous relationships since they'd all ended badly and he had no desire to make her feel insecure. She tried to sleep, eventually gave up and walked to her favorite observation room where she found she wasn't alone. "Oh hello, Atun."
"Evening, Leyna." He turned and bowed to her. "Cannot sleep either?"
She shook her head. "I have a hard time on occasion. It's always relaxing to come and watch the hyperspace sky fly by."
"I agree. You seem to have a lot on your mind."
"Yeah, is it that obvious?"
"I wouldn't necessarily call it obvious, I merely am very good at reading others. I apologise if you find that unsettling."
She had never heard anyone talk like that before and shook her head. "It's okay. Are all Pantorans like this?"
"Some more than others. May I ask what troubles you?"
"It feels all jumbled together. Tynan thinks you're hiding something and I keep wondering if he's just uncomfortable because he had a girlfriend he took to Pantora..." She trailed off as she realized how she sounded and that Tynan would be mad if he ever found out that she spoke about their relationship without permission to a complete stranger. "Pretty pathetic, huh?"
He was silent for a moment as he studied her face. "I don't think so. You want to know you can trust the man you're with, especially away from the comforts of home. You also want to believe others unless they give you a reason not to and there is no shame in that either. Of course there will be dishonest and greedy and those who wish to do harm because good and evil fight a constant battle inside everyone in the galaxy and good doesn't always win."
"That was very philosophical from someone who looks about eight years older than me."
"And how old do you think I am?" His tone sounded almost amused.
"Twenty-four?"
He shook his head. "Flattering, but no. I'm thirty-six."
She eyed him in surprise. "You don't look it."
"You're hardly the first to tell me that. Gaur doesn't look his age either, though only five years younger than myself. At any rate, it is getting very late and I think it's high time I tried to get some sleep."
"Yeah, I probably should too. It was nice talking to you, Atun."
"Likewise, Leyna."
She watched him bow and leave, not too far behind in her own departure. She returned to her room and crawled back into bed and thought about her conversation with him until she fell asleep.
