Across the Galaxy: A Pirate's Path to Glory

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“Ugh… No, no! You’re doing it all wrong. You go left instead of right and the way your turn is completely and utterly disgusting!” The music was stopped once again as Ichigo was rubbing her forehead. I could feel the glares from the other girls behind me. They aren’t going to make this easy for me… I just wanted to pack up and go home. But my mother's eyes were observing me intensely. I simply apologized to Ichigo then we started again. Danced and danced until we could barely stand or walk. 

Rehearsal was finally over and I rushed over to mom. 

“Ugh, now we are stuck with her..” I could hear the girls whisper behind my back. Biting my lip I tried not to mind but it was difficult. Following mom to our ride it was quiet. 

“They don’t like me…” 

“You just have to keep practising and putting lots of time into getting better dear. This is your whole life now.” My heart crushed over what she said. I quickly looked away and tried to breathe calmly. No way I’m going to bust my ass for something I don’t even want to become. But I decided not to say anything. Soon… I’ll get away from here. 

Arriving home it was the same rushing for the party, leaving me all alone and I took my chance to sneak to work. But to my surprise, there were many more people standing in line for the club. When did it get so popular? Then I saw the huge posters of Sarova. Seems like they are using her for marketing. 

Slipping inside backstage, hoping to meet Meiji before getting to fixing.  Few of the dancers were already standing behind the stage, waiting to get announced. Everyone was excited about the large audience they’re getting. I noticed how the dressing room was already open and decided to walk in. I saw Meiji looking at himself in the mirror however his eyes seemed terrified. He then quickly opened a bottle filled with pills and swallowed them. 

“Oh um, hey Meiji. Am I bothering?” 

“Dahlia, come in!” He turned around and the fear in his eyes slowly began to wash away, giving that glow in his eyes. 

“Worried?”

“I mean… I guess. But it’s exciting. Hopefully, the owner can keep up this place longer. However… It’s all thanks to that weird guy. Who keeps giving me gifts. He offered to print those posters for free then called over everyone he knows. I hope this doesn’t come back to me…” He placed his hand over his stomach and sat down. He took a few breaths before he started smiling again and his body seemed to relax. 

“I’ll be around all night, in case he does anything weird alright?” I walked closer to him and placed a hand on top of his shoulder. 

“Nah, I’ll be fine. I just have to go out and dance.” He moved my hand away from his shoulder and began to do his makeup. I only smiled then left without saying anything. He was busy anyway. Sure, it bothered me but I couldn’t do anything. I’m not having any pressure being a dancer for others enjoyment. But I know how much I would hate my position. I don’t get why so many are okay living like this. Sure it’s the norm… But needing to eat pills every day just to feel happy and keep going, is it happiness then? 

“The moment everyone has been waiting for! Let me introduce youuuu, the one and only, devilishly sexy, Sarova!” The crowd almost went wild hearing the announcer. The music started playing and the lights dimmed. It was dark enough to see how every tuner was slightly glowing. There are special glowsticks parties where everything is completely dark and the light comes from us, our veins glowing in different colours. It made Sarova the star on the stage, being the brightest one. Sarova was giving the same performance but somehow I didn’t enjoy it as much. Instead of her owning the world, it was like she was a puppet only dancing for everyone else. It was painful to watch and I desperately tried to avoid looking. How usually her routines felt short, this one felt incredibly long. The audience kept asking for more and more. So she had to perform three times in a row… 

From afar I could see Meiji how exhausted he was. The announcer had to distract everyone so poor Meiji could rest up a bit, change outfits and perform again. However, one of the guests stopped him from entering backstage. I felt how my heart started beating faster and I moved closer, through the shadows. 

“Come on~ Can’t you give a private dance? I can pay you whatever you want!” He grabbed Meiji’s wrist and he tried to pull away but it seemed like the man had a tight grip around him. I saw how cables were hanging nearby and rushed over to them. 

The man pulled Meiji even closer, grabbing his chin and began to touch him inappropriately. 

“Let’s go somewhere private. I have some rare purple powder with me as well..” 

“No… Please let me go..” He began to pull him away somewhere but I managed to use the cables as a whip and pull the man away from Meiji. 

“Leave him alone! He said no!” I unintentionally yelled out which caught the attention of everyone around us. Meiji quickly backed away from the man before he could get away from the cables. I however pulled him closer to me, putting more distance between the two. People surrounding us were just whispering. This will probably be on the gossip page and mother will know about this… 

“I warn you girl, let me go and none of us will get hurt.” I couldn’t help but smile. He dared to threaten me while being in my grasp. I was fairly confident in my skills from all my whip and robe training. However, the cables were a bit tougher to work with. 

“I don’t want to get in trouble either but-” Something reflected the light. Expecting the worst I quickly backed away, pulled on the cables, making him turn around and setting him free but only for a quick second. I quickly used the cables to wrap around his wrist and pulled them together, disarming him with whatever he was carrying. To my surprise, it was a syringe. 

“That’s enough everyone.” A man came closer and picked up the syringe as if it was nothing. Taking a careful look at him I noticed he wasn’t a tuner but from another planet. He had four arms and his skin was beige. He was wearing a black jacket and a white shirt, the sleeves were rolled up. He moved elegantly and crouched down to the man who now laid down. 

“My apologies, sir. I’m an international space cop and I’ll take care of the girl.” The man hissed, cursing under his breath before muttering that he hopes the girl gets punished. Which I assumed meant me. I let go of the cables and sighed. To stand up for someone, I end up being the criminal. It would ruin my reputation… Which means there would hopefully be nothing my mother could change. The man who claimed to be an international cop moved towards me with a playful smile. Something about that smile told me he wasn’t a cop. He didn’t seem lawful enough. Ketsin, which his species is called, are usually dressed in much more simple clothes like robes and tunics or the uniform. This was too elegant and flashy for a Ketsin and a cop. What I know, they can’t afford any designer clothes with the paycheck they get. Getting a closer look, his jacket is Louie Bitton and his shoes as well. He was even wearing an earring on his right ear which seemed to have a rare gem. 

“Please follow me, miss. The owner is requesting you.” Feeling sceptical, I still followed him. Maybe I still could get something useful out of him. I took a glance at Meiji who quickly went to the dressing room. I tried to protect him as best I could, but the man could strike again… Biting my lip I simply followed the “cop” towards the owner of the club. He was sitting in the V.I.P section of the club with beautiful people surrounding him. His clothes were a mess and he seemed completely out of it. 

“Excuse me, sir, I’m an international space cop and I just wanted to-”

“Do whatever you gotta do… Just don’t close down the club!” He laughed at himself as he relaxed on the couch and asked them to leave. The guy seemed a bit surprised but shrugged and walked away, nodding towards me to follow. It was hard to hide a smile. 

“He didn’t even request for me isn’t that right? And I don’t think you are a cop either.”

“Observant are we?” He laughed as he walked out of the club. 

“So if you’re not going to arrest me then what do want?” I stopped when we exited the club. He began to search for something in his pocket before pulling out a cigarette then lit it up. 

“Well… The way you handled the cables like a whip. It was quite impressive. I thought maybe, instead of being a “criminal” in jail or whatever. Why not be a criminal and have freedom?” 

“I’m listening” 

“You see, I’m a space pirate. Captain of an awesome crew. I think you would be a perfect fit.” 

“I’ll join” My voice had no hesitation. This could be my chance to get off this planet and not have to listen to my mother scold me or who knows the man from earlier would accuse me of. The guy smiled as he exhaled smoke. 

“I’m Tristen, we can drop off by your place-”

“I don’t have anything to bring. I need a wardrobe change anyway.” 

“Whatever you say” He chuckled and took the last blow from his cigarette before dropping it and stepping on it. Then we began to walk again, making our way towards a spaceship. It didn’t seem too modern, looked kind of like a piece of junk compared to the majority of the other ships around. 

“Once you’re on the ship, there is no turning back you know. I’m sure you can clear out your name here and such as well-” 

“I’m sure. I’ve only ever wished to get off this planet.” The door opened to the ship and he pointed towards the entrance. 

“After you then.” I walked inside and the door closed. He showed the way towards the cockpit and no one was near to be seen. 

“Your crew?” 

“Day off. Kind of I guess. Usually, when visiting the place I let them explore. I just wanted to chill a bit but that club was incredibly full, reviews said it was usually almost empty. Luckily, however, I found you.” I could feel how I began to blush from the compliment. He began to talk about work, what they usually do and such. They had a seller nearby and decided to take a few days off here where crimes aren’t usually punished. He then stood up and tried to start the radio. 

“s**t, it’s broken. Again. That Sylas will never be able to handle his anger.” He rubbed his forehead. 

“I can fix it.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I worked as some sort of a mechanic at the club. I know, it’s unusual for someone like me but I always liked doing it. Where’s the toolbox?” He gave me the toolbox and I got to work. The ship was in a lot worse shape than it seemed to be. It could take days to fix it but I felt like an excited child, finally being able to fix something other than lights and an ice machine.