Though it started out smooth sailing, it didn't last long, as all three members of their small party appeared to be trouble magnets.

Honestly, Trinity should have seen this coming, but as they swung their metal staff into the face of a Federation soldier, cracking the armored face guard, they squashed those thoughts to the bottom of her mind.

No time for that, she berated herself, twirling her staff once before swinging it at an upwards angle, straight into the kneecap of another soldier. Wishful thinking won't change anything.

Thirty minutes earlier

They landed on Iviru, a small dwarf planet on the outskirts of Chaem'ol. A messenger from Taizo's contact was supposed to meet them in a hole-in-the-wall bar. Entering, the bar was well-populated with enough people that the trio didn't stick out. The sole bartender in the center of the room yelled something in Eketian, but Kura replied quickly, and he left them alone.

"Where are we meeting her?" Trinity hissed, glancing between Kura and Taizo as they made their way to a solitary booth in the back corner. Something tickled the back of their mind, but they wrote it off as mere anxiety, having never done bounty work before.

Taizo leaned down, but before xe could say anything, a stranger with a long, dark ponytail shoulder checked xem. With a flash of her eyes, Trinity easily saw the circular holopod they tucked discreetly into xyr pocket. They paused briefly to mutter something in Taizo's ear before leaving, moving as quickly as possible without drawing too much attention. The tallest of the trio had the other two's attention, jaw set as xe closed xyr eyes briefly, veins on xyr neck visible.

"Tao, what's happening?" Kura asked, voice low as she continued herding the group to the booth, keeping appearances.

Taizo blinked at the nickname but otherwise didn't react. "That was the messenger," xe replied quietly, eyes open and scanning the whole room, looking for something, someone. "Someone's tipped off the Federation. We need to go. Now."

The tickle in Trinity's mind had become a sharp pinch, and as they turned to look over their shoulder, they knew why. Federation soldiers, recognizable by the standard black armor, began entering the bar in a line. A hush fell over the bar, and the three barely shared a look before drawing their weapons in tandem, lurching into a fight.

Now

Federation soldiers were dressed in all black, meant to make them inconspicuous, but the dark color combined with the imposing armor only made them stand out more. Their heads were covered by black snug-fitting helmets, leaving a small opening at the bottom, framing their mouths. Nothing was visible from the chest down other than the solid black armor, gaps only found on the joints.

Most soldiers carried standard blasters, but some of them (like the one Trinity was bashing the kneecaps of) carried energy batons. As she made another swing, this time at the lighter padding near the soldier's neck, she bent backward to avoid the crackle of energy that swung out from the baton, mere inches from where her face once was.

"We've gotta go!" Kura called from somewhere behind Trinity. They could hear the whiz of her throwing knives as they cut through a soldier before arching back to her hand.

Next to them, Taizo grunted. Xe was practically a blur, moving so quickly and with such severity that if it weren't for her Enhancements, Trinity wasn't sure if she would be able to see xem. "Then work faster, Sparks!" Xe called, embedding a stolen dagger in the stomach of one soldier and reaching over to break the neck of another in one fluid movement. "The newbie's doing better than you."

"Not a newbie," they replied, punctuating their words with a clang as they brought their staff down over a soldier's head, and he crumpled to the ground.

The last standing soldier advanced toward her, and Trinity raised her staff, moving to lunge when a knife embedded in his neck.

"And I'm moving fine," Kura added, delicately stepping over the crumpled bodies of Federation soldiers to rip the knife from the last one, carefully wiping the blood on a cleaning cloth produced from her pocket. "Let's get going. I don't know who tipped off the Federation, and I don't want t' stick around long enough t' find out." The rest of the bar had almost completely cleared out at this point, save a few patrons probably used to the violence.

"Well, I don't wanna stick around here any longer either," Trinity snorted, nudging a soldier with her foot. "So wh—"

Something pinched the back of her mind, and she turned around, grabbing Kura's knife out of her hand. "Get down!"

They lunged for the Federation soldier who was not yet dead, blaster raised. As they landed, a blast rang out, and sharp, indescribable pain flared in her shoulder. With her other arm, she brought the knife into the soldier's chest at a downward angle, just above the center of the collarbone. Grunting, Trinity rolled off the soldier, face tight as they examined the other soldiers, ensuring that no others would be getting back up anytime soon.

"Ya alright?" Kura asked, coming up beside them, the concern in her voice thickening her accent, words blending together. They gave her a deadpan look, saying nothing.

She nodded. "Right, stupid question." Grabbing Trinity's good arm, she hauled them to their feet. "C'mon, let's get outta here. The Wanderer's got a decent med bay, and I might not be a doctor, but I can fix a blaster wound well enough." Slinging their arm around her shoulders, she straightened, bracing her other arm underneath their knees.

Trinity grunted, suddenly too tired to protest. Kura's grip was firm, and as she lifted her with ease, she slumped in the taller's arms once she was sure no other soldiers were getting up. Glancing to the side, Taizo stood just over Kura's shoulder. Xyr face was passive as ever, but Trinity thought she saw a flicker of concern in xyr eyes. Before they could look further, Taizo's entire stance shifted, growing defensive as xe moved in front of the other two.

Shifting, Trinity strained their neck as much as they could, seeing a tall woman with deep blue skin nearing them, one of the only patrons who didn't leave during the fight.

"Is she alright?" She asked lowly, her voice lilting with an unfamiliar accent.

Taizo lifted xyr chin as xe stared her down. "What do you want," xe replied instead, voice flat, guarded.

The stranger rolled her eyes. "I'm a medic," she said slowly, as though xe was stupid. "I can help."

That did little to convince Taizo, crossing xyr arms. "You're willing to help three fugitives that just slaughtered a fleet of Federation soldiers?"

Her lips quirked into a smirk. "You're not the only one who's a fugitive."

Xe opened xyr mouth to reply, but Kura stepped forward, a protective arm wrapped around Trinity, holding them up. "We don't have time t' stay here; if ya wanna help, it'll have t' be on my ship."

The stranger considered it, glancing between the trio and the soldiers on the floor. "That's alright," she said, nodding.

Taizo squinted at Kura. "Ti'kana¹," ze said, "kemia ni'ahn²?"

Kura pursed her lips. "Ki'e, putac³—"

"I can speak Kanian, you know," the stranger said, leaning in with a raised eyebrow.

Jolting, Taizo's eyes widened as xe faced the stranger once more, xyr face uncharacteristically flushed with embarrassment.

Trinity raised her head, squinting at the stranger. "You're an Enner, aren't you?"

The stranger blinked as everyone's attention was brought to the smallest of the group. To her credit, she recovered quickly. "Yes. I practiced on myself," she raised a single hand, the pads of her fingers flashing in a dull, white glow, her eyes following suit. "It comes in handy, too."

Stepping forward, Kura held out her free hand. "Fine by me, then. I'm Kura."

The stranger gripped it, shaking it firmly. "Nysirra."

—

The Wanderer was decently large, especially for only three people. Kura had herded the group onto the ship soon after their conversation died down, trying to focus on the injured one—Trinity, she told Nysirra once they were seated in the medbay. The medbay itself was nice as well, if only a little cluttered ("The only way Kura cleans in this place is if you hold a blaster to her head," Taizo had joked, though the deadpan look on xyr face left her wondering).

Though wounds left by a blaster tended to cauterize on impact due to the heat, it was still necessary to treat them as soon as possible before infection had time to set in.

Holding the x-scanner screen with one hand, Nysirra tapped the screen with a single finger and dragged outward, a hologram of Trinity's shoulder materializing. Glancing at the younger, Nysirra's mouth pulled into a small smile as she saw their wide eyes at the hologram.

Noticing her gaze, Trinity blinked, coughing. "Sorry," they said. "I've just never seen something like that before."

Nysirra hummed, setting aside the x-scanner for the container of bio-spray and antiseptic. The hologram remained hanging in the air, casting a faint blue glow on the two. "Many haven't," she agreed as she carefully began cleaning the wound. "Enhancements are used as a last resort for injuries most of the time, but mine are classified as recreational." Placing the antiseptic onto the counter, she uncapped the bio-spray. "This should heal it by the end of the night. It'll mimic your skin cells and accelerate your wound's proliferative phase, knitting the skin together. There may still be some scarring, but it'll be light."

Trinity nodded. "Won't be my first."

Without trying to make it obvious, Nysirra's eyes darted around, studying the skin left exposed by Trinity's tank top. True to their words, she could see the beginnings of scars on her sternum, disappearing behind her top. Nysirra wanted to ask what had happened, but she didn't want to push too much. They had only just met, and she knew firsthand how difficult it could be to trust others. So she would have to wait, no matter how cute they looked when they smiled in thanks once the wound was suitably treated.

The medbay door slid open with a soft hiss, and Taizo strode in, arms crossed. Xe stopped just to the side of the two, and when xe said nothing, Nysirra raised an eyebrow. "Did you need something?"

Taizo tore xyr eyes away from the hologram, still glowing between her and Trinity. "No," ze said eventually, xyr voice slow and deep, and xe reminded Nysirra faintly of a predator, lying lazily in wait for its prey. "Kura got the ship through the warp gate, so she wanted to talk while we're on autopilot."

Trinity and Nysirra shared a look, and the latter ended the hologram with a swipe of her hand. Recapping the bio-spray, she set it back down before standing, wiping her hands on her pants. "Lead the way, then."

—

Taizo led the trio to the Wanderer's training room, where Kura liked to spend most of her free time. As the door slid open, the tall woman was replacing weight plates onto a wide rack that spanned almost an entire wall. Wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, she turned to the group, a tight, almost awkward smile. "Thanks, Tao," she said, nodding at the taller. Her gaze then moved to Nysirra. "So," she began, grabbing a sweatshirt off the floor and shrugging it over her torso, only clad in a sports bra.

Taizo pursed xyr lips. Xe had known Kura for several units now, and as much as she would deny it, xe could read her pretty well. Xe just didn't like what xe was reading currently.

"How long've ya been a medic for?" She asked, ignoring Taizo's sharp look that said, Don't you fucking dare.

"How old are you?" She countered with a raised eyebrow.

Kura was undeterred. "Twenty-seven units."

Nysirra's lips curled into an almost rueful grin. "Longer than you've been alive then, Ti'kana," she teased.

Glancing at Kura, Taizo noticed she looked flustered, clearing her throat. "You've a lot of experience, then," she said, pointedly ignoring her reddened ears. "How would ya like t' join us for a job?"

"Kura," Taizo snapped, stepping forward. "You can't let every person you meet join."

She met xyr stare head-on, not faltering in the slightest. "You and I both know that this is more than a three-person job. Not if they sent an entire Federation fleet after us for even thinking of going through with it."

Fists clenched, xe opened xyr mouth to counter when Trinity interrupted. "She's right. Love the ambition, but we're definitely gonna need more firepower than we've got. Plus, having a medic on a ship is, like, step one of having a decent crew."

Taizo blinked down at them, not expecting them to step in. Unfortunately, she had a point, and xe crossed xyr arms with a grunt, saying nothing else.

"Suppose I'm interested in your job," Nysirra said after mulling her words. "What exactly would it entail?"

Kura hummed, a grin growing when she realized they were getting somewhere. "Afraid we can't tell ya that unless you're in."

"Then I'll have to consider it." She glanced between all three. "How many were you planning on inviting to your little crew, anyway?"

"I was thinking a crew of seven would work," she replied, tilting her head to the side, glancing at the other two to see their opinions.

Trinity shrugged. "Works for me, 's'long as I get paid and don't get shot again."

"Fine," Taizo said after a moment, arms crossed.

Kura's grin returned tenfold, and she clapped her hands together, moving toward the doors. "Great! 'Cause I already had another person in mind, and I had set the course t' pick them up."

Jolting, Taizo followed her out the doors, calling after her. "What do yo—"

The door hissed shut, leaving Trinity and Nysirra standing there. After a moment, Trinity cleared their throat. "Well, there're worse people to be a captain."

Nysirra nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose she makes for a good leader for your team."

"Our."

She blinked, scanning Trinity, but the other's face was carefully neutral except for a single raised eyebrow. "Are you that certain I'll join?"

Trinity shrugged. "Dunno, but I'd like to think I'm pretty observant." She gently knocked her knuckles against the side of her head. "My E-N's might've been medically necessary, but they still come in handy from time to time."

With that, she turned on her heel, leaving Nysirra alone in the training room.

—

Kura knew she was acting impulsively. She kind of hated it.

The events of the past twenty-four hours had been a lot to take in, though, and there didn't seem to be any time for detailed, thought-out plans. It was driving her crazy, just a little bit.

Sitting in the pilot's chair, her teeth worked on her bottom lip as she split her attention between the holopad in from of her and the nav pod on the control panel.

Turning when she heard soft footsteps, she saw Taizo entering, arms still crossed. Xe looked her up and down. "You alright?"

She grunted, turning back to the glowing panels in front of her. "'m fine," she grumbled. "Why?"

"You haven't acted this impulsive since I met you," was xyr blunt reply.

Kura blinked, kissing her teeth. "Kriat'en⁴, I hate it when you do that."

Xe quirked an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Know me like that," she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"We've known each other for almost ten years," xe replied, taking the seat next to the captain's chair, just off-center. "It'd be more concerning if I didn't know you this well."

She grunted. "I hate it even more when you're right."

Taizo hummed, snatching the holopod to examine it. "Looks like you'll have to get used to it. This them?"

"Yeah," Kura said, sighing. "We broke outta prison on Xinus together. Good fighter. Told me if I ever wanted t' work together again, I should go to Oamia."

The doors hissed open as Trinity entered, Nysirra trailing behind her, and Taizo handed them the holopod to examine. The Wanderer exited the warp gate, the massive, tan shape of Oamia filling xyr view.

Time to find a needle in a haystack, xe mused.

¹: Sparks
²: Are you sure?
³: No, but—
⁴: Damn it

—

wc: 2.8k
status: edited

finally got another chapter out, and we're slowly getting to the action!! i love writing nysirra tbh 😌

for anyone who's wondering, this picture i found from deviantart is how i pictured the federation armor to look, mostly, except there's no red accents and the helmet completely covers the top of the head.

and the crew's almost all together!! once they're all there, the action will really start to pick up. i've got most of part one completely planned out, so hopefully there won't be too big of a gap between chapters. i'm about to have a really rough semester bc i'm taking a lot of classes though, so please just bear with me :,)

also i wanted to show y'all what i titled the planning doc i made

anyway, that's all for now!! let me know what you thought of this chapter!