Tracey and the Space Pirates (2)

Jason walked out onto the surface of a new planet, a few steps behind his captain. It looked the same as any space dock on Earth, but somehow, it felt different. He tore his eyes away from the back of Tracey’s head and looked around himself in wonder. Not one of the faces he saw were familiar to him, and no one gave him so much as a second glance. His anonymity carried the feeling of freedom with it. He turned his attention back to the woman he was following. Not complete freedom. Not yet.

The captain hadn’t said much to him since their agreement just a few days before. She’d kept to herself. 'Off flying the ship,' Soze had said with an amused glint in his one eye, as if it were some private joke. 

Jason hadn’t been allowed into the command room. In fact, he hadn’t been allowed anywhere much other than the kitchen and his quarters. Though he’d found out why the corridors sparkled. The other men had made him clean them every morning after breakfast.

When they’d landed, it was about an hour before Tracey assembled them all in the common room. She announced she was taking Jason with her to speak with the client, and gave Soze an apologetic look. The look in his eye as the two of them left together told Jason 'you’d better watch out for her or else.' 

He really worried too much. Jason wondered what Soze thought might possibly go wrong for the captain of a transport ship in the bright light of day on the planet Alpha. 

The dock exit took them to the middle of a busy open-air market, just like the one on Earth. The Earthen hub of interstellar travellers was always full of stalls selling overpriced souvenirs and fast food, and this planet seemed to be no different.

“You’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

Jason jumped. He hadn’t realised Tracey had slowed down to walk beside him. He simply stared at her as they walked along, not sure of how to respond to such a statement.

Tracey smiled patiently at his silence. “It’s good to know I’m not the only reason you joined my crew.”

“It is?” Jason blinked at her stupidly. In the light of Alpha’s two suns, his mind couldn’t seem to keep up with the conversation.

Tracey sighed. “People need a purpose in life, or they will never let go of the past.”

“So you’ve ... brought people on board before and they ... didn’t work out?”

“Something like that. Sometimes the best place for a criminal is in prison where they can’t do any further damage.”

Jason looked down to his feet and listened to the combined laugh of a family walking in the opposite direction. They were speaking some foreign language he didn’t understand. They were new to the area as well since the primary language he’d been hearing since landing at this port was English. He felt Tracey’s hand on his shoulder.

“Not you,” she said softly. “I’m sure whatever’s in your past wasn’t too ...” she trailed off, seemingly unsure of how to finish that thought. Jason wondered if this was how she usually spoke to her new crew members.

“I dealt in drugs.” He shrugged, keeping his eyes down to not meet her disapproving stare.

“Not anymore.” 

Jason thought he could hear the shrug in her voice, and smiled without looking up at her. The past was the past, after all.

The two companions walked the rest of the way in silence, Jason sifting through his memories of past misdeeds, ready to put them behind him.

                                      ---

“I’m here to see Raynor.”

The bored girl at the front desk looked up at Tracey slowly. When her eyes met those serious dark ones though, she instantly flared to life. She nodded, gestured to a row of cushy seats in the waiting area and picked up her phone.

"Mr Raynor, your 10 o'clock is here."

When the receptionist turned back to her desk, she looked at Jason and frowned. Startled, he saw that Tracey had already moved off and sat down, and quickly followed suit.

Tracey gave an amused smirk as she picked up a magazine and started flipping through the pages for something that might interest her. Jason was more interested in the office they found themselves in.

Although they had walked in from a dirty side-street, the office was well-presented. The deep red walls looked as though they were freshly painted, the large reception desk shone with a professional look, and the stack of magazines brimming with celebrity faces sat atop an expensive-looking glass coffee table. Used to dealing with back alleys and dodgy businesses, Jason was surprised to walk into such a place. 

He glanced at Tracey, engrossed in her magazine. She wouldn't have dealings like that, though.

"Soze would normally come in with me," Tracey said thoughtfully, still engrossed in her reading. "I assume he gave you some instructions on how to accompany me on this trip?"

Jason raised his eyebrows. "Wherever you go, I'm there to watch over you."

"That's what I thought." Tracey flipped over the page, still not looking up at him.

"I-is that okay?" Jason asked.

Tracey finally looked at him. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, you brought it up."

"I just thought I should know what stance you're going to take. Raynor's going to insist that you don't come in."

"Oh?"

Tracey turned her head as another man entered the waiting room. She stood up and took the offered hand. 

As the two shook hands, Jason studied the man. He was tall and thin with blonde hair, wearing an expensive-looking suit. He was handsome. Jason didn't trust him.

"Welcome, Tracey. I trust your journey here was pleasant?" The man's voice seemed sincere, but that just made Jason dislike him all the more.

"It was fine, Mr Raynor." She waved a hand in Jason's direction, indicating that he should stand too. "This is my new crew member, Jason."

"Jason." Raynor held out a hand and Jason shook it, but the smile on the other man's face didn't reach to the suspicious frown in his eyes. "You'll be waiting out here for your captain, won't you?"

"No way." The two men continued to shake hands, trying to stare the other into submission. "Whatever you have to say to the captain, you can say in front of the crew."

Raynor gave a questioning glance to Tracey, and she just smiled and nodded in return. Raynor rolled his eyes, his hand finally releasing Jason's.

"I suppose I should have expected it," Raynor said. "Come along into my office. We have a job to discuss."