─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SEASON 3 EPISODE 4

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

System: Volii

Faction: Freestar Collective

Planet: Volii Alpha

Place: Neon

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took me a while. Honestly, Starfield takes a long time to write. The chapters are longer than Starfield Jimin, and that on top of everything else I've been doing on top of season 3 being the most intense season is probably going to lead to more delays than normal.

You know I love writing this story. It's probably my favorite story I've ever written. But, unfortunately, with season 3 being as detailed as it is, my perfectionist mindset might take longer than normal. I'll try my best to give consistent updates!

If you're okay with me making the chapters shorter, then I can make updates faster. It's just that SF's average chapter length is 6k+ words, and that's really difficult to keep up with on a weekly basis. So I can do faster updates with less words (likely around 2-3.5k), or a little slower updates with longer chapters (likely around 5-8k). Whichever one you'd prefer!

☆☆☆

Jimin

"You're such an asshole."

Jimin received a hefty slap to the face followed by an ass squeeze and a kiss on the same cheek that had been hit. Kim Taehyung stood in front of him with a boxy smile, a tattoo of a swan under his left eye, and curly black hair covering his forehead. His teeth were straighter (and whiter) than Jimin remembered.

Most importantly: he had no new injuries or scars Jimin could see.

"You up and leave for years and just now come back to me? The fuck took you so long?" Taehyung scanned up and down Jimin's outfit and whistled. "Woah... Ganji nanda. Forget that, tell me what you did to earn this fit, and I'll call us even."

Despite being Korean, Jimin didn't understand the language whenever Taehyung had used it. It was a miracle remnants of it had survived from Earth, though most had tried to preserve as many languages as possible. The inter-galactic language became English, though other languages dominated the stars as well.

"Jung Hoseok," Jimin said, motioning to the scarf Taehyung had been admiring. Taehyung lost his smile at that. "He told me you spilled about my mother. Care to tell me why in the hell you did that? We're ratting each other out to pirates now, huh?"

They were in Taehyung's empty tattoo shop. It was cramped and had more crimson neon lights than seats. It had two rooms: a lobby and a back area with two cushioned chairs for one customer and Taehyung. Taehyung was in the customer service industry, yet he hated people.

"You think I want bad blood with the Fleet?" Taehyung stopped and clicked his tongue. "Not that it matters, I heard they got destroyed, Hoseok among them. You have something to do with that?"

"I pulled the trigger."

The memories swam in and circled Jimin's mind. Hoseok's golden smile filled his vision, and no matter how hard he tried to swat the images away, they somehow amplified.

"I... see," Tae said with a sigh. "I'm sorry to hear that, then. May he rest in peace."

No, Jung Hoseok was a monster who rubbed glass in people's eyes and murdered innocent people for the crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Peace was too good for him; however, deep down, Jimin said the same thing Taehyung had. After all, he was the one wearing the fallen man's scarf. He hadn't stopped wearing it ever since that day.

Jimin cleared his throat and sat in the cushioned chair. "I'm not here to talk about the Fleet. The UC kinda hates when I do that."

"Since when does Park Jimin listen to what the UC thinks, huh?" When Jimin didn't answer, Taehyung's expression went from amused to monotone. "What happened?"

Jimin averted his eyes to instead stare at the ceiling with cracks and more health code violations than the streets of Ebbside. He rubbed his gloved hand over his bare one, feeling the way his ring finger had no metal on it. It was supposed to, but it didn't.

He smiled. It wasn't out of joy. "I fell in love."

"Oh..." Taehyung put black latex gloves on his hands and picked up his tattoo gun. "I... I saw the news. Something about you having powers and looking for a UC commander. I didn't think it was true. Not like you to give a damn about the United Colonies of all things."

"You're right, but then I met her. My wife."

Taehyung's eyes bulged. "Wife? Shit, I didn't know you were that serious about her."

"She's why I'm here."

Taehyung took the hint and whirred up his gun, then ordered Jimin to take off his jacket, which he did without complaint. The dim light cloaked Jimin's skin in a darker shade than it was otherwise. A bare splotch of skin waited on his left shoulder, and he motioned to it with his head. Taehyung disinfected the area and asked if Jimin wanted a stencil first. The answer was no, so Taehyung requested the design.

Jimin pressed his lips together. When he parted them, the lower one quivered. "A Universal symbol."

Taehyung peeked up at that. "I... are you sure? I haven't done one of those in-"

"Just do it."

He did.

It took twenty-five minutes, which was a breeze compared to the padauk covering his back. He glanced at it when Taehyung finished. The Universal symbol blessed his shoulder, the dark ink swirling in the familiar coin shape. To anyone else, it looked like a black dot. To him, it represented the last thing he had loved. The last thing he had left.

But that was gone too, wasn't it?

Jimin hoisted himself off the chair as soon as Taehyung completed the wrapping, snatched the tattoo cream Taehyung handed him, and zipped up his jacket without looking too much at the new ink on his shoulder.

"Thanks. I'll get out of your hair now-"

"Sit," Taehyung said, and Jimin did so without so much as a whimper of protest. "There are far better tattoo artists than me, so I know you came here for a reason."

"You won't charge me."

"Like hell I won't. Five thousand credits, an extra thousand for not visiting me for so long."

Jimin cracked a smile at that, then reached into his jacket's pocket to flick a credstick at him. "Fine. Ten thousand for putting up with my bullshit. Can I leave now?"

"Not until you tell me why you chose me."

"You're my friend. That's not enough?"

"Not friendly enough to visit me earlier, so don't try and pull a fast one on me."

A soft sigh left Jimin's parched lips. He rubbed his hand over his forehead, and the gentle sting of the fresh tattoo faded into a forgotten abyss. Taehyung's hot breaths fanned out and hit Jimin's skin, decorating him in goosebumps as silence wafted between them. When he gained the strength to meet Taehyung's eyes, the man hadn't moved.

"I'm lost." The two words felt like they tore Jimin's tongue in half. He could taste the metallic, thick texture of blood, but he knew it wasn't real. "I thought that maybe... seeing you again might help. Seeing someone from Neon who isn't my fucked-up mother."

If the words I'm lost split his tongue, the curse toward his mother ripped it out. His lungs deflated until all the oxygen squeezed out and fell into his empty stomach. Although more words wandered through his mind, none of them fired past his mouth and into the cramped tattoo shop.

"You know I'm always here for you. Whatever you need," Taehyung said, and Jimin managed to smile at that.

"Thank you."

Taehyung furrowed his brows. "Uh... you're welcome? Is that what I'm supposed to say?"

Ah, Jimin forgot Taehyung had never left Neon and learned manners. He made a mental note to dumb down his language and be ruder next time.

"Yeah, you got it," Jimin said, not sure where to go next. Once again, he hadn't been truthful. The reason he was there was for a special request from Taehyung, but he doubted anyone would support that decision. He tried anyway. "Okay, I lied."

Taehyung crossed his arms over his chest. "What now?"

"I came here to ask you something."

Taehyung sighed. "It's a favor, isn't it?"

"Yeah, a pretty big one, too."

Taehyung threw his hands up and raised his brows, but he didn't speak. Jimin took it as a sign to continue.

"I want you to join my crew."

As soon as the sentence left Jimin's lips, Taehyung's hands fell back to his side, and his brows went from the top of his head to furrowed above his nose. His lips parted once, twice, three times—nothing came out. He ruffled the back of his hair and cleared his throat, and then stepped away from Jimin.

"Like... up in space? Your famous crew?" Taehyung asked. His voice somehow got deeper as he said it.

"Yeah. Aren't you tired with dealing with these Neon shits? You can come help us up in the stars and explore the entire galaxy. What do you say?"

"You're right, that is a big favor." Taehyung stopped himself to rub his hand on the side of his neck, his top teeth shooting out to press on his lower lip. He eased up a second later, but it didn't stop him from sounding shaky. "Why?"

"I wasn't lying about the lost part. I need someone on my crew who trusts me and will have my back out there."

"You don't think the rest of your crew would?"

"It's not that, it's that they don't trust me anymore. They think I've gone batshit crazy, even if they won't say it out loud."

They're scared of me would explain the entire situation, though he doubted his tongue would ever have the strength to fire the words out. Not that it mattered; Taehyung had moved on before Jimin had the chance to speak again.

"Okay, but what about my skills? I'm a tattoo artist, not an engineer. I can't fly, I can't gun, I can't navigate, and I can't even fucking cook. What do you want me there for? Attractiveness?"

"Don't sell yourself short, Tae. You can clean," Jimin said. Taehyung glared, and it was Jimin's turn to throw his hands up. "Sheesh, looks can kill. Fine, I'll admit, I don't think you bring anything to the crew either, but you could learn."

Taehyung took off his gloves and washed his hands in the sink by the door, keeping his back facing Jimin. "Look, uju sounds cool and all, but I can't leave my shop for an adventure I'm not trained for."

Based on context clues, Jimin figured out uju was the Korean word for space. The time it took him to process the definition gave Taehyung the time he needed to finish washing his hands and continue his rant.

"I'd love to help you, but I can't-"

"I need you, Tae," Jimin interrupted in a mutter, and Taehyung stiffened at that. He stared at Jimin with his eyebrows still shot up. Even the mole on the tip of his nose seemed higher than usual.

"I... but I don't know anything about space travel."

"Neither did I, but look where I am now."

"Fair point." Taehyung trailed off to lean against the wall and kick at the ground. "What would I have to do?"

"We'd teach you the basics of ship maintenance and give you a job. Probably heatleech cleaning, then you can move up as you learn more. You'll get a free room and access to Constellation, same with Constellation's home base: the Lodge. You'll be salaried and live on the ship almost full-time."

"Is dental included?"

Jimin chuckled. "Whatever you want, bud."

The endearment slipped by before he could stop it, but he didn't regret it. If anything, he wished he could say it again and again if it meant convincing Tae to join. He didn't know why he needed Tae so much, but he did. To the point where he felt he'd go mad if the man turned the offer down.

"Fine... but you owe me. Big time."

Taehyung held up his hand for Jimin to shake, and he did without hesitation. He shook Tae's hand as rapidly as Jungkook spoke.

"I'm at your service, Kim Taehyung." He paused to laugh, the first genuine one in too long to count. "Thank you. You don't have to use manners back, I just-"

"You're welcome." Taehyung offered Jimin a boxy smile. "Let's cut to the part where you tell me what to do before I get lost."

Jimin snorted. "My ship is at the first landing pad. I have to go to Ryujin and go play dress up for them, but in a few hours, I'll head back and get you acquainted with everyone. Why don't you meet me outside it in four hours? Deal?"

Taehyung kept his grin, and for the first time in six months, Jimin's heart beat at a steady pace.

"Deal."

☆☆☆

Jimin's Ryujin operative outfit

Jimin hated his job.

Ryujin had given him an operative "uniform" to wear around Ryujin, custom-made for him. Each operative had different uniforms to help them have more individuality. Something about the company wanting to appear "friendlier," as Imogene had put it, though based on her pissy expression, he had a feeling she hated it as much as he did. Strange. For a rich snob, she had common sense.

Standing in the bright light of the operations hallway, Jimin brushed down his black outfit. It had accents of crimson surrounding the wide, upward-pointing collar, and both of his hands had gloves. Yeah, that was wonderful, wasn't it? Give the man with superpowers two gloves instead of one. He'd end up ripping the right one in a matter of hours. Knowing Ryujin, they wouldn't care. They'd send him an entire box of them. Appearances mattered more than anything, right?

He strolled into Imogene's office and did a dramatic twirl to show off the operative outfit. The ribbon scarf thingy around his neck twirled with him. It was a thin strand of fabric that was red with gold accents on the inner and outermost layers, and it went all the way down to his knees.

"Impressive," Imogene said without taking her eyes off her desk drawer, where she rummaged through the supplies inside. They jostled and filled the otherwise quiet room with clanging noises. "I got a report you finished your first task."

"Without a hitch. No one noticed me." Jimin slumped in the chair across from her and crossed his legs. "And here I thought my stench would alert them."

If Imogene found that funny, she didn't show it. Instead, she retrieved a data slate from her drawer and placed it on the surface, scooting it closer to Jimin. He took it without complaint and didn't bother asking. Patience was a virtue. Not one he had, but they were going to give him a nice mech, so he opted to keep his mouth shut and give her a chance to explain.

"You're hilarious. That's your personal slate for Ryujin saying your name and employee information. Don't lose it."

He agreed and shoved it in his back pocket. Silence followed as Imogene inspected him from top to bottom. He shifted under her gaze, averting his eyes and tapping his fingers in his lap. Yes, the outfit fit him well, but that didn't mean he deserved to get ogled by his boss.

"We're giving you one more trial task, then you'll meet Ularu and make real progress on the mech," she said after a beat, clearing her throat when she finished.

Jimin quirked a brow. "Should I be concerned?"

Imogene tapped her gloved hands on the desk. "Bayu warned us you shoot first, think later."

"What does that have to do with Ularu and what I said?"

Imogene didn't answer. Quietness overruled him, keeping him in the shadows while she dominated the direction of the conversation. Nothing happened, and nothing could happen, until she continued. Jimin didn't know how to feel about that.

"Your next task is a little more complicated," she said instead, the previous conversation disappearing. "It's not a real task in the traditional sense: you're meeting the members of the board. There are seven, but you're meeting four. Ularu is another one you'll meet later, same with Masako and Dalton. For now, you're meeting Genevieve, Linden, Alexis, and Camden. Genevieve is the head of the PR department, Linden is the chief financial officer, Alexis is the head of the legal department, and Camden is the supply chain manager. Any questions?"

Jimin rolled his eyes. "Say that again slower. I wasn't listening."

Imogene didn't reply for a long moment, and when she did, it wasn't to acknowledge him. "They're in the conference room across from my office. Introduce yourself, come back, get your first assignment as an official Ryujin operative."

Jimin didn't budge. He waited to see if she had more, but she didn't. Still, he stayed. He didn't know why, but moving from that chair felt like a thousand tons of pressure. Like the entire history of Neon's rainfall crashing on him at once.

"You seem like you're rushing this," he said. It could have been a question, but he made it a statement.

"You asked for speed."

"I know, but you're respecting that."

She shook him off. "Ryujin plays by Bayu's rules because we have to, not because we want to. Don't assume we're like that lunatic. We care." She narrowed her eyes. "Most of us."

"But you don't need to be involved with Bayu to be a shitty person. It's Neon. No one on Neon helps each other, so stop lying and tell me the truth."

"I already did," she said, and, much to his astonishment, her tone didn't raise. Every syllable came out smooth without a crack daring to show itself. "I don't like you, but that doesn't mean I don't know pain when I see it. I won't let someone else go through that." She trailed off and brought her hands into fists, avoiding eye contact as she whispered her final words. "Not again."

That was Jimin's cue to stand and yawn. "Alright, traumatic pasts bore me. I'm gonna go do my job before you start monologuing. I'll be back soon."

He didn't give her a chance to respond and instead departed, pounding his way over to the room across from Imogene's that had a cracked open door. With his superpowered hand, he stepped in and faced a bland space with white walls, stupid lamps that looked more like dildos than lights, and a gray carpet hidden beneath a long, rectangular table seating four people in white chairs with crimson cushions. The table was the same color as the walls, though it had splashes of black on it from all the gloved hands resting on top.

Four heads snapped his way, consisting of two men and women. Two for each side of the table. The left held a man with a neuroamp visible on his right cheek. The metal cube meshed with his honey-like flesh and gave him an advantage in negotiation. None of the others had neuroamps, and considering they worked at Ryujin, home of neuroamps, Jimin had to wonder why. He didn't voice it, though.

"The new recruit," neuroamp guy said in a voice lower than Imogene's but not as smooth. He had a trimmed beard and straight brown hair that covered his entire forehead, his bushy brows knitted together as his black and red Ryujin uniform hugged his muscular figure. "I'm Camden, I'm sure Imogene gave you the rundown about me and the others?"

"Sure, but I wasn't listening." Jimin kicked the door shut and didn't know where to stare, so he opted to dance between the four. "Care to fill me in?"

"I'm the supply chain manager," Camden said with a small head dip, his shoulders straight and his legs crossed under the table.

"Wonderful. I'll keep that in mind if I need a pen." Jimin turned to the woman by him—a blonde with shorter hair than Sarah, but the blue eyes were just as sharp as hers. The difference was the woman before him had more wrinkles than Sarah ever would, and her voice came out scratchy.

"Well," she said, not bothering to clear her throat. "Let's have a look at you."

Jimin folded his arms over his chest. "I'm quite the specimen, I know."

The woman scoffed. "Oh, geez, you sound like my son. And that's not a good thing." She paused to sigh. "My name is Alexis. Legal department. If you mess up, that's a case on my hands. Don't give me more work. I won't be happy."

"No shit." Jimin huffed and ignored whatever else she had to say. He turned to the woman sitting in the right corner. "Tell me you're normal."

Her full lips pulled back to reveal a smile that shined, and her high cheeks crinkled in the bright lighting. "Genevieve. PR. I like to think I'm normal, but I also like decaf."

Jimin grimaced. "Ew."

Alexis groaned. "This is why no one likes you, Viv."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Genevieve said with her bobbed, black hair bouncing around the sides of her head and skimming by her dark skin. "Good to meet you, recruit. Genie told us your name's Jimin."

"Gen- oh, Imogene. Yes, she was right. I'm surprised you didn't know me already from all the... y'know... newsfeeds."

"You're quite popular," the last male said. Based on the introductions, Jimin deduced the man was Linden. He had a crew cut paired with a beard as thick and trimmed as Camden's, and his nose lacked bumps or deformities. It was the straightest nose Jimin had ever seen. "We hear you have... abilities."

"Correct. Look it up for yourselves, I'm not wasting my time doing show and tell. I'm here to get that mech and get out of here, so let's make this easier for everyone and let me get on with the next task, yeah?"

The four didn't answer. They glanced at each other, but he knew telepathy wasn't possible, so he had no idea what the looks were for. Not that it mattered; seconds later, Alexis (finally) cleared her throat and gave Jimin her attention.

"As you wish. You're going to Ularu Chen in the executive offices. Imogene will take you, and once you get there, you'll get your first real mission working for us. Don't mess it up. If you aren't as stealthy as a ghost, we don't want you."

"Gee, thanks," Jimin said with a snort before leaving, not bothering to meet their sharp stares as he left. Rich snobs like the Ryujin executives didn't bother him. Bayu did. That was why Jimin had a bullet reserved for him.

Upon returning to Imogene, or Genie, as the others had called her, he found her standing and leaning against the doorway. The first thing he noticed was her abundance of black eyeshadow, but hey, at least that meant she cared a little about her skin. No wonder why she lacked dark spots and wrinkles, aside from a mole on her cheek.

"Follow me," she said before he could get a word in. He decided to keep the streak up and kept his mouth shut as he followed her to the elevator, and together, they rose to the top floor: the executive offices.

No curses came from Jimin despite the metal box of doom bumping as it went. When it parted to reveal more white walls, he thought it'd be the same boring architect as before, but as he stepped out and turned to his right, he spotted a steel dragon hanging off the ceiling with metal rectangles hanging around it in a circle to show it off. Underneath was a fountain pouring water clearer than Jimin's eyesight, and several cushioned, backed benches surrounded the rest of the floor. In the corner was a staircase leading to the offices, because of course the executives were positioned above everyone else at the top of the tower.

"So, Genie." Jimin clicked his tongue and walked in-step with her as they went to the stairs. "Why is Ularu so important?"

Imogene groaned. "Great, you're calling me that too. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, now answer the question."

"Ularu is our second-in-command behind our CEO, Masako. I think you'll like her."

They ascended, and Jimin noticed how the lighting went from bright to illuminate every curve of the elegant dragon statue to dark and soothing with red hues replacing what was once white. Inside waited a square space with a woman behind a desk, and to the left was a tiny staircase with an office door at the top. To the right was no staircase but a far larger door. The nameplate said CEO, so he assumed Masako was inside. That left only one place Ularu could be.

"Maeve, we're here to see Ularu. Park Jimin and Imogene Salzo," Genie said while approaching the woman, who appeared similar to Imogene with the hair trimmed close to her head. Same hair color, too.

Maeve approved them, and they went to the left in time for the door to snap and reveal two women. One had shaggy black hair and thick-framed glasses topped with a white lab coat way too long for her short body. The other woman was far taller with broader shoulders, her chestnut hair tied into a bun with no strands daring to fly out. Her skin was clear, her thin lips bright pink and shiny thanks to lip gloss. Like Imogene, she had dark eyeshadow. Unlike Imogene, she had a far longer Ryujin outfit with a cape-like sheet hanging off her waist. The black attire had accents of crimson highlighting every curve of her muscular body, and to top it off, she had a pointy chin and razor-like jawline and a pencil-thin nose in the middle of her symmetrical face.

"I can think of an easy way to solve this," the taller woman said, her voice sultry. "But PR wouldn't like that, would they?"

The other woman hugged her own body and hunched her shoulders. "Yes... yes, ma'am."

The taller one didn't speak for a long beat. "My next appointment is here. We'll continue this discussion later."

In a flash, the lab coat scurried away and almost dropped her glasses in the process. At the top of the staircase stood the Ryujin executive, Ularu. At least, that was what Jimin assumed. Who else would it be?

"Jimin Park," the sultry voice said. "My name is Ularu. Get inside so we can chat."

Ularu didn't acknowledge Imogene's existence, so Jimin didn't either. He entered. Imogene didn't come in until a few seconds later, leaving Jimin a chance to peek at all the decorations inside the tiny office. For an executive's work environment, he expected grandness, but instead, he saw red and white walls with bright lighting to contrast the waiting area outside, and the three wooden shelves sticking out of the wall behind the mahogany desk had real plants on them along with a metal dragon figurine sitting on the top one. An EM weapon hung from the weapons case on the left wall near the door, and the desk held a computer that didn't make any noise—not even a soft sound from a fan.

"Sit," she said as she did just that behind her desk. Two chairs waited in front of her. They had cushions the same colors as the walls.

Jimin leaned on the wall. "No thanks, I'm hoping this'll be quick."

Ularu's thin lips pulled into a smirk, showing her straight teeth. He noticed diamond stud earrings decorating her face, but no other jewelry. Then again, she wore gloves; it was possible she had an array of rings on, but he couldn't see them.

"Genie, maybe you hired a good one after all."

Imogene narrowed her eyes before responding. "Bayu hired him. I just interviewed him."

"Take a compliment, I rarely give those out." Ularu relaxed in her chair and eyed Jimin up and down. "My, my, a strong physique, too."

Jimin held up his left hand. Like Ularu, he wore gloves that hid any rings. Not that he had one, but the illusion was what counted.

"Married," he said, doing his best to keep venom away from his sentences. "Not interested."

Imogene snorted. "Jimin, Ularu's only relationship is to the company, don't get excited. She's not hitting on you. She's studying you."

"Oh, wow, that makes me feel so much better."

But Ularu didn't react to their banter. Instead, she waited for them to finish. When they did, she placed her elbows on her desk, meeting Jimin's eyes and giving him all her attention. The silence in the vicinity shot through his mind and numbed it up. Any quietness had conditioned him to think about Y/n. That was why he needed to stay on Neon for as long as possible. He fiddled with his fingers and felt his powers amping up, a solar flare beginning to tear through the fabric of his uniform, but before it could take its full form...

"Genie tells me you aced your trial assignment."

Jimin swallowed what he could, but Imogene ended up talking on his behalf.

"One standard assignment, pulled off without a hitch. And he survived the board of execs."

"Skip to the part where you tell me about the powers."

That time, Jimin took lead. "I'm not here to do a q-n-a, so either tell me what my next task is so I can get that mech faster, or I'll go break down Masako's door and see what your CEO has to say."

"Oh, you've got a little spark in you, I like it," Ularu said with a chuckle. "Relax, you'll have your mech soon. I have a personal assignment to send you on, the type Bayu informed you about. You're meeting an outside contact. Genie seems to think you're capable of handling it already. Genie, darling, you think he's good after one assignment?"

"He's the best operative I've ever hired," she said, and Ularu chortled.

"Also the only operative you've ever hired. And didn't you say Bayu hired him, not you?"

Imogene didn't answer, so Ularu got up and rounded the desk. More quiet came, and Jimin didn't know how any executive could work like that. He couldn't stand working in soft noise, let alone nothing. It brought too many memories of his peaceful nights with his beautiful wife. The one who'd model her alpaca pajamas for him, and...

Focus.

Jimin got himself to stand at attention as Ularu approached. She was the same height as him, without heels, too.

"Meeting with an outside contact isn't as straightforward as that one assignment you did," she said, her voice somehow dropping lower. "Some can be... fickle, or demanding, so you'll need to decide how to handle them and what decisions to make on the fly."

"I'm a captain. That's my whole job."

Ularu smirked. "Impressive, captain. Your contact is Simon Ryczek. He claims to have information on a new project that Infinity LTD, our rivals, is working on. We'll send you with enough credits to cover his asking price, but don't be surprised if he asks for more. I'm sure the great Park Jimin can afford it, right?"

He felt bits of his fabric searing away from his solar flare, but he shut his fist a beat later. "Fine. I can."

"Good. Now, in order to confirm your identity, Simon prefers code phrases." She rolled her eyes. "I'll let Genie give you the details on this one because the concept is just beneath me."

Genie didn't waste time. "Simon is into sports, so he'll take any opportunity to talk about them. At some point, he'll casually say 'Looks like the Galactic Raiders are the number one pick for the Universal Championship this year.' You get to respond with, 'Razor derby is the only real sport.' Got it?"

"Oh my God," Jimin said with a grimace. "That is the dumbest shit I've ever heard."

Ularu hummed. "Someone with a brain, I see."

Imogene didn't let the small talk deter her. "You'll find him in Cydonia. Look for him above the Luxe condos in the plaza."

"And that's the task," Ularu said, motioning to the door with her head. "If you'll excuse me, I have important things to take care of. Genie, you spoke highly of this one. Let's hope he doesn't make you a liar."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Imogene mumbled before departing with Jimin on her tail. They got out of earshot of Maeve and went near the grand staircase. "If Simon takes any of your credits, let me know and I'll cover them."

Jimin paused at that. "Why?"

"You're a Ryujin employee under my care, so-"

"No. Tell me the real reason."

She peered at him without moving. Then, she slumped her shoulders. "You're the only one who knows what it's like to lose a..." She didn't finish, but she didn't need to. The way she moved her hand to brush over her left ring finger said it all.

Jimin nodded once. Twice. "Okay. I'll let you know."

He took the trek to his ship at that point, not caring if Imogene wanted to continue their discussion. He had a mech to earn. However, that day he learned someone was on his side: Genie. As much as Jimin trusted no one on Neon, at least Genie would give him credits.

And he liked credits.

The journey back was as eventful as ever for Neon. A gang fight broke out in Neon Core near the Astral Lounge, scaring the rich people. Security officers didn't bat an eye as shoplifters fled the markets. Janitors didn't bother cleaning up. Part of Jimin wondered why Bayu bothered hiring them—a million janitors couldn't cleanse the stench of shit from that hellhole.

He returned to his ship within a few minutes, meeting Taehyung outside and greeting him with a clap on the shoulder, though it was fake, as were most of Jimin's interactions. His mind refused to stop flashing images of her smile, no matter how much pleading he did. Whatever words Taehyung spoke didn't process in his ears, so he nodded along and pretended to listen. If Taehyung noticed, he didn't comment on it.

Inside waited the entire crew, with Jungkook standing front and center. Curls bounced at the ends of his hair and framed his bunny-like face. Doe eyes peeped at Jimin, and he did his best to maintain the direct contact.

"This is Kim Taehyung," Jimin said, the entire crew not budging to greet the man. "He's the newest member of our crew, and he's my best friend. Treat him well or you're off the ship. Have I made myself clear?"

No answer was an answer, so he nodded and slipped by the crowd. Taehyung grabbed at the puffy material making up Jimin's Ryujin uniform, but Jimin evaded the attempt to pull him back and instead entered his room, slamming his hand over the button to shut and lock it behind him.

As soon as he did, heaves fired out of him, his eyes burned, and his hand glowed. The glove fried off, pieces of fabric flying off his fingers like sand in wind. He plopped to the ground and tucked his knees on his chest, mumbling incoherent words to himself. No tears came, not that they ever did. All that remained was a dry mouth and a sore back.

Simon was waiting for him on Cydonia, but he didn't care. He took the stupid scarf thing off and tossed it to the other side of his room, rising and kicking his boots away. His entire outfit came off, seeing as he didn't want to wear Ryujin gear in UC territory. That was without mentioning how the mission was confidential, so no showings of his affiliation were allowed.

The uniform flopped on his bed as he dug through his closet to find Hoseok's scarf and his standard outfit. The navy blue and black jacket revealed itself to him, and he tugged on it with his left hand while his right remained ablaze. Every time he went to take it out of the closet, it didn't work. More breaths sucked between his teeth, and he coughed while attempting to regain his strength.

No.

His brain repeated the word, and it was all because he could smell strawberries. He didn't know why. She wasn't there, yet the aroma lingered. Her Vanguard jacket was folded and placed near the end of his mattress. Not knowing what else to do, he peeked at it through his blurry vision, taking in the way the dim lighting bent and curved over the familiar UC colors.

There was no sadness. Hell, there wasn't even guilt. All he felt was... nothing. The ache of his hand was all he had left, so he used it. For the first time in a while, he observed himself, scanning over his battered body, begging for a clean spot. His chest had bruises and fading burn marks, the same with his thighs. Out of fear of being held by the arm, he had never done his arm, though it seemed he had no choice that day, as all the other spots were taken.

With his right hand, he shut his eyes and pressed the heat of the solar flare against his bicep, under his new tattoo, but never close enough to harm it or the wrapping. The ache wasn't as strong that time, but it did enough: it snapped him back to reality. No blurry vision came to him when he opened his eyes. The smell of rotting skin attacked his nostrils, and he lifted the solar flare from his arm and saw the damage. Marred flesh twisted in a semi-circle around where his muscle was. A black, steaming mark cut deep. Third-degree. He made a mental note to use his healing ability on whatever thug tried to fight him first when he returned to Neon later that day.

Although he had a mission that'd help him find his wife, he sat there, naked, not moving, not speaking, and barely breathing. Every breath he took sounded worse than the last. The smoke steadied itself in the air, blown away by the breeze his lips created as he attempted to stabilize his lungs.

Pain whined in his figure from the burning he had inflicted upon himself. It reminded him he was in reality and not tumbling through a canyon of chaos. If the voice was watching, he wondered what it thought and why it wasn't aiding him. Was he so alone that his cosmic "friend" had given up too?

Jimin staggered up with his bare feet gripping the metal beneath him. Somehow, he managed to glide his way into his outfit, tying the red scarf around his neck and holding it for a second too long before he exited and stormed his way to the cockpit, booting up the grav drive. Taehyung joined him a minute later.

"What can I do?"

"Get Jungkook. He's my second-in-command, used to work for UC SysDef. Can't miss him, he's the tall one with black hair. I'm gonna have him set this up while I take a nap."

Taehyung knitted his brows. "Now?"

"Just for ten minutes. If I'm meeting an arrogant asshole on Ryujin's behalf, I'm gonna need it." Jimin got the ship ready for liftoff and didn't say anything more, waiting for Taehyung to complete the task. After hesitating, he did, and Jungkook took Taehyung's place. "Take us to Cydonia and land. I need a good ten minutes of sleep, so wake me up soon. No more than fifteen minutes, got it? I want to keep him waiting, but not for that long."

Jimin swiveled on his feet and marched by, but Jungkook's metal hand stopped him by grabbing his bicep. Agony ripped through him as the tightness of the titanium squeezed on his fresh burn. A yelp wrenched its way out of him, and on instinct, he punched Jungkook, causing the man to stagger and release the captain.

An apology waited on the tip of his tongue, but Jimin was too busy cradling his injury and begging no tears to come. They hadn't before, so why did they insist on rushing to his lids the second he was in front of Jeon Jungkook?

Jungkook, who had a bruise forming on his cheek, held his face with his real hand and had wide eyes. "What... Jimin, what did you do?"

"I'm sorry," Jimin managed to say, though he hiccupped as it came out. "You shocked me, that's all. I didn't mean to hurt you-"

"No." Jungkook lowered his hand, and his gaze narrowed. "What did you do to you?"

That was Jimin's cue to hurry away. Jungkook called after him, but Jimin didn't care. His legs brought him to his room, locked the door once more, and settled him in bed with his hands snatching his wife's Vanguard jacket to drape over him. Strawberries sprinted into his nose, and he savored every drop of the sweet fragrance. In an instant, his eyebags won, and the stress of Jungkook's suspicions replaced itself with memories of his wife. Jimin gave in, slumping his head on the pillow and hoping sleep would take him, and it did.

He drifted off while thinking of holding his wife's hand again.

☆☆☆

Thank you for over 2,000 followers and 2.1k only a week after getting 2k. That's wild, I can't believe how fast we're growing. As promised, since I got 2k by my birthday, I will release another story over the summer. To vote on what story you'd like to see, check the inline comment here >

I'm on vacation until the 29th, so I'll leave the form open until I get back, then close it and choose a story. Everything's neck-and-neck right now, so your vote could be the deciding one!

My new story, The Gamer's Guide to Romance, is out now! It is a PJM x reader that's a crap ton of fun, so I hope you check it out!

Thanks for reading.