After Femi fainted, Gabriel's eye settled back to its normal yellow overshadowing green color.
He carried Femi to one of the chairs and table that was still intact. He gave Femi first aid, then ordered a drink from the restaurant's bar.
Not long after, Femi gained consciousness, and carefully sat straight on the chair.
"Ahh… My body hurts," Femi laughed, this was his first time experiencing raw damage.
"It happens," Gabriel said, sipping on a cup of drink.
Femi sat straight, and took off his mask. He rested his back as looked at Gabriel.
Gabriel avoided eye contact as he muttered in a disinterested tone, "Should you really be taking off your mask in front of a stranger?"
Femi tilted his head, a smile forming on his face, "Stranger? You're one of mine now."
Gabriel placed the glass cup on the table. He combed back his hair with his hand, and sighed.
Gabriel thought, looking up to the sky, 'Oh Tether, what is this stress….' He then turned to Femi and said, "I guess I am…"
Femi nodded and stood up. "Alright then! I've gotten what I want. Let's go!"
"Go where?" Gabriel wondered.
"To Rimora, our spacecraft!"
Gabriel was impressed. He had thought working with someone who just seemed to be a newbie would be stressful, but for a newbie to have a spacecraft so early, it didn't seem like they're having a bad and stressful start.
"You have a spacecraft? That's good then." He spoke, his uninterested face changing to the opposite expression.
Femi gestured for Gabriel to follow as he strode with his mask and sword in his hand, His face was very satisfied as he navigated the street.
Gabriel had settled the bills for the damage caused earlier. Since he didn't have much to do, he motivated himself to go along with Femi.
As he walked, Femi realized something. He turned back, facing Gabriel, he said cheerfully, "By the way, I'm Femi Noma!"
"Alright," He replied as he walked, his two hands in his pocket. Gabriel had waved it as information he'd learn as time goes on so he didn't bother asking.
Eventually, they both stopped a taxi that took them to the spaceport.
*****
Femi and Gabriel stood under Rimora where the hatch was.
As Femi spoke to Arwan to extend the boarding bridge, Gabriel was scanning Rimora, shocked by how someone like Femi was able to get a spacecraft like this.
"Come in," Femi said.
They walked into the cargo.
Femi was walking ahead because was leading Gabriel in.
Arwan and Eina, who were working and watching him work respectively, saw Femi. Looks of worry instantly appeared on their faces.
Femi's shoulder had a hole in it, his black dread hair that was no longer hidden within the hood was rougher than ever. The white bodysuit was battered, and it had blood stains here and there. On his face were stains of blood.
"You mad man! You're laughing with this body?" Arwan yelled as he was about to approach Femi. His movements halted seeing a foreign person walk in with Femi.
Eina also saw Femi and her face had an obviously angered expression. Her eyes that were rich with bloodlust glared at Gabriel.
Gabriel walked in. Seeing the welcome, his thoughts trailed as he cross referenced what he had seen in his 9 years of experience with what he saw now. His eyes turned green!
"Oiii, I got someone with me.." As Femi ended, he saw a blur pass by him and he instinctively went into the [Lagged Planes].
In the state of perceiving the world when it is slowed down, Femi saw Gabirel rush towards Arwan and Eina with eyes that pleaded for battle.
And Femi was confused.
'What? Wait, what should I do?'
'What do people do? I need both of them!'
"I'm not hearing anything…'
Those were the thoughts Femi's mind kept going along those lines until his time in the [Lagged Planes] were exhausted.
Gabriel bolted at Arwan, his hand cocked back as he smiled deviously.
Arwan could only sense danger and smell death. He was yet to even notice that Gabirel had left Femi's back.
Eina noticed, realizing she needed more strength, she reduced her suppression. She instantly jumped to Arwan's front.
Gabriel's punch made contact with Eina's forearm. At the same time, Arwan fell from shaking legs and Femi, from behind, placed his sword near Gabirel's neck.
Exchanging looks from Arwan and Eina, Gabriel's eye color was changing as he asked, "You too? What exactly are y'all?!"
After Gabriel's obviously rhetorical question, everyone froze in the position they were in.
Femi felt confused as he didn't know what to do. On a normal basis, his hunch would tell him if Gabriel was truly going to kill or not. But it didn't. Why? Femi didn't know. He felt like a part of him was sealed at that moment...
Gabriel and Arwan were people who would play a role on Femi's path to humanity but he wouldn't gain all the emotions like he wanted by seeing someone die here. Femi was sure about that.
So for Femi, losing Arwan and Gabriel at this moment was pointless.
He thought of what to say. For the first time in a long while, he was going to do something without guidance from his hunch.
In an emotionless tone, Femi asked, "What are you doing? You're not allowed to kill him."
Gabriel raised his hands up, signifying he wasn't doing anything. "I was just checking the strength of your fellow mates."
Femi was silent, and Arwan, seeing that all was a show, raised his voice, "Damn that. What kind of test is that?"
"Well, your captain has an aura that makes me assume all of you are strong. I believe I should know the strength of my new partners." Gabriel explained, holding in the urge to sigh.
"Huh? Femi, what is this bozo talking about?" Arwan questioned as he stood up, seemingly forgotten that he had just been disgraced.
Shifting his emotionless eyes to Arwan, Femi said, "He's a wanderer I met at the Arena. I asked him to teach me... Teach us and he said yes... So he'll be joining us."
Arwan pinched his nose bridge, holding in his frustration. "Since when did you become captain? We're mates and we should make decisions like who the new members will be together!" He fumed.
Gabriel had gone to sit on the boxes that were in the cargo, right beside Eina. "Eh... By the way, I prefer to be called a researcher... All that wandering stuff ain't my thing." He interrupted.
Arwan raised his brows. Seeing Femi didn't plan to say no more, he'd take matters into his own hands. He glanced at his wrist comm hidden under his work gloves.
"Okay then? Bozo, I'll be asking you questions now. I'll determine whether you join or not." Arwan was straightforward.
'Honestly, things aren't supposed to be this complex,' Gabriel thought as he yawned, "Alright... With what I've seen, you guys are worth the stress. Ask before I get tired. Make your questions short too."
Arwan smiled as he sat on another pile of boxes.
Femi and Eina both stood at the sidelines. Femi felt his hunch come back and realized that their conversation would be exciting while Eina, she didn't really understand much... She only went with the flow.
Arwan read the holographic screen that popped from his wrist comm with a confused face.
"Gabriel Drazil. A Galactic Wanderer without any associates. He can also be considered a bounty hunter. His achievements are not so far from that of Xenon, the human prodigy. Over the past 8 years, Gabriel Drazil has..." Arwan's face squeezed as he continued to read, "Gabriel Drazil has amassed approximately 136,000 kills, becoming one of those with the highest kill in the galaxy. "
As Arwan finished he placed one hand on his mouth and muttered, "Gabriel Drazil, the Mad Freak, who is a solo wanderer is the person that's been given a recruitment offer by The Alliance the most in the past 10 years."