The twin suns of the Adresta system came into view little more than fifteen minutes after they had entered hyperspace. Del could tell the moment they exited the hyperspace lane when the ship buckled again and drastically reduced its speed. Being a pilot himself he could tell a lot of what was going on outside of the ship even from feeling the movements from this interior cabin. He owed that to his experience though, he thought. He hadn't known much else but piloting from an early age.
"Two hours." A guard said after opening the door to the cabin, interrupting Dels thoughts.
"Two hours just to get that far? How old are these archaic engines?" Del retorted.
"You guys aren't gonna see much of anything ever again after this trip. It's two more hours long. Enjoy it." The guard snapped and walked out of the room. There was a small data pad in his hand, he was there for a progress report no doubt. Del doubted he got much from that interaction though, and just didn't want to be embarrassed from his lack of knowledge about the ship he was patrolling.
"He'll be back." Del muttered to the other inmates.
They hadn't thought much of the conversation, clearly not pilots or mechanics themselves. Del felt the ship pick up in speed, though it was just slightly. The guard came back by the vacuum sealed door. He didn't open it but he gave Del a wink through the small window at the top of the door. They were less than two hours out now, surely. Del supposed it was the guard who had the last laugh about the engines.
Del then looked around his cabin to see his fellow inmates begin to worry. The two girls faces contorted in fear and despair, while Grees' face somehow seemed even angrier than usual. Del thought it best to remain silent, there was nothing he could say now that would put them at ease. He leaned into his chair attempting to stretch his muscles and waited for the Andreas final approach to the large space station acting as the Drenzien headquarters.
****
Once the Andreas docked, Rela vomited onto the floor. The reality of her situation now setting in as it was with the others as well. They had all but a moment to decompress from the flight before the door shot open. Standing on the other side was the same male guard from earlier that had winked at Del, and captain Robinson herself.
"Line up, file out. You know the deal." Captain Robinson ordered. Rela and Grees lined up but Trys broke into tears and begin his Tara ally fighting captain Robinson. All but a few seconds and missed punches and the guard next to the captain pulled out a small black taxer and shocked Trys enough to leave her immobile. He then put his tazer away and lifted the girl up slinging her over his shoulder. She was a smaller girl and easier to carry, so that was no surprise. Del played his part and fell in line behind Grees.
The three remaining inmates shuffled out into the small ship and exited the airlock out into the space stations docking bay. They walked down the ships ramp and met a set of three guards with full suits and helmets with black shields covering their faces, and a well dressed woman with entirely deep purple skin stood behind them with her arms folded.
The guard with captain Robinson handed Trys still stunned and twitching body over to one of the full helmeted guards.
"Possible runner." He grunted as he did so.
The full helmeted guard nodded in response.
The well dressed purple woman appriached captain Robinson and quickly asked something in a hushed voice. A moment later captain Robinson snapped her fingers at the inmates and spoke.
"You two, with him." She said, nodding to the guard who was now carrying Trys.
"Del, you're with her." The captain added nodfing at the purple woman. The two other inmates marched away, though it was rather by force.
"Why isn't he coming?" Rela asked before being ushered forward.
She tried to resist but the guard punched her in the back rather hard making her stumble forward and cough, to Del's disgust. Rela then remained silent, never getting an answer. Del watched for a while as they were taken away. When they were out of earshot he then approached the purple woman and captain Robinson.
"Anything else?" The captain asked looking the purple skinned being.
"That will be all for this run, thank you captain." The woman replied.
Her tone was that of an older woman but her body didn't look a day over twenty. Captain Robinson offered a slight bow and motioned for the guard to follow her back on the ship. Del watched them stride back up the ships ramp away from him and turned to the purple woman.
"Poulja Maraks I take it?" Del asked the purple woman.
"You're correct." She said flatly now regarding Del, her voice missing all the softness or care that it had with captain Robinson and was now cold and emotionless.
"Follow me." She said turning to walk away. Deal quickly shuffled to be walking behind her.
A moment later the Andreas engines kicked on and the ship undocked from the space station, officially leaving Del stranded in the Adresta system. Though he knew that was always going to be the case.
"You look… diffirent, then I was expecting." Del stated breaking the silence while they walked.
"Do not speak inmate." She said coldly in response. Del didn't say anything the rest of the walk. He could already tell this was going to be an unpleasant relationship.
The two walked out of the docking areas and down a series of similarly colored silver and gray hallways before entering a moderately sized room with a small table on the side with two chairs and a large wooden desk on the other side of the room. There were little nic nacs spread throughout the small office making it look rather homely. To Del's surprise, the small room actually looked more human than he was expecting, a lot more.
"Sit." Poulja commanded and Del took the closed seat in the room. One if the two large brown lounge chairs. Poulja then took the other one where there was already a mug of something waiting for her near the chair on the table.
"So, you have been brought here, to the Drenziens headquarters in this system, the Deimos Alpha 1 station, for the purpose of paying off a debt through work for the Drenzien government rather than prison time, correct?" Poulja asked after a moment.
"Correct, I'm here to be your errand boy." Del shrugged.
"Hmph, you have a long list of things to accomplish before you'll even hear word of going back home, you know this, yes?" Poulja asked.
"Yeah." Del replied. The sense of dread and hopelessness now setting in. He didn't let it get to him often but when it did it was almost unbearable.
"Good." Poulja aid as she took a sip of her mug.
"I am your director." She continued.
"All of your work and activities are reported to and go through me, understood?"
"Understood." Del replied now just wanting this conversation to be over.
"Your first task, of many should you survive, is simple, you need to deliver a crate of supplies to the neighboring planet of the one under this station, Areilia." Poulja stated.
"That's it, a simple delivery?" Del asked, his voice slightly irritated.
"Oh, you believe you have the right to ask questions of your superior? Right away? How interesting." Poulja responded, one dark jet black eyebrow raised.
"When I'm carted across the known universe to be a damn delivery driver? Yeah, I do." Del spat back at the woman now even more annoyed at his situation than he was initially. He stood up, now seeing he could indeed ask questions.
"And while I'm at it, why do you look human but purple?"
Poulja blinked at that and let out a burst of laughter.
"Sit down you idiot." She said. Del clenched his fists and exhaled, but sat back in his chair.
"The Drenziens, though not only us, are one of many humanoid type species spread across the known nine galaxies of the universe. There are many of us, some shorter, some taller, in various shades of the spectrum of that system but the similarities are undeniable." She stated, clearing her throat before she continued.
"The Drenziens however, are the most beautiful of them all." Poulja said with pride. Her head tilted up in the air as if displaying her portrait as a piece of art.
Del now unclenched his fists and stared down at the table, lost in amazent of what he'd just been told.
"Oh, um… that's… uh… cool." Del muttered not really even thinking about the words he was saying, his mind still swirling with suddenly revealed information and questions. Poulja smirked across the small table from him, clearly expecting this mind blowing reaction.
"As for why you're delivering supplies." She said, reeling Del back in to the conversation.
"There is a small resistance there that needs to be helped in defeating, you will need to avoid detection on approach." She stated. Del stared at Poulja for a moment as he collected himself.
"So… smuggling. You went across nine galaxies to find me to smuggle for you? You can't be serious." Del remarked.
"Yes, I am." Poulja stated in her cold and flat tone.
"Ugh." Del muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Also, it's time for you to get going." Poulja said as she pressed a few buttons on small grey device she pulled out of her suit dress pocket.
"The guard here will take you to the ship with the supplies. Good luck smuggler." Poulja said with a wink. The door opened and another full helmeted guard entered the room. Del was staring at Poulja in amazement.
"Oh you're enjoying this." He said looking at the Drenzien, she only looked forward in response.
"Unbelievable." He added as he stood up.
Del shook his head as walked away with the guard. He couldn't help but smirk at the mental chess game he'd just lost with the alien. Still, it didn't free him from the dread of his coming years of servitude.
Del followed the guard down the main hallway to the hangar they had come from. He was brought to a dock that contained a small white ship. The name Feima was displayed on the docking terminal. Del looked out st the small ship, not surprised by its size.
Just small enough to not be detected by radar. He thought to himself.
"Here." Was all the guard said as he stopped at the airlock. He stood motionless staring at Del, waiting. He clearly wasn't going to leave until Del entered the ship.
Del nodded at the guard and entered the airlock to board the small vessel he was about to fly to a planet he just learned about for the first time. Still he couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief when the door to the airlock shut, finally having some personal space provided the smallest bit of comfort, but it was at least a little.