Dominion

Chapter Nineteen: Star Hall

Chapter Nineteen: Star Hall

I almost couldn't remember the last time I had been off world, away from the Earth. It wasn't that long ago, but it felt like a lifetime. My time spent on Star Hall - with Talyn - seemed like a distant memory, lost in my mind behind everything that had happened since then.

Seeing it now not far ahead of us, a majesty suspended in the swirling color of the nebula, was a strange occurrence. But surprisingly not an unwelcome one. I was doing what my sister had asked, searching for the rebels. Talyn claimed to have a lead on their location. If getting that location meant finally confronting her, then that's what I would do.

I felt more resolute in doing so now, having had time to think on it. This what was Ash wanted. It was the least I could do to honor her. I would find the rebels, hear what they had to say, why Ash wanted me to find them. Joining them, however, that was a different story.

I heard Vera stir behind me, her eyes starting to open. I had opened her box and removed her handcuffs so she wouldn't panic so much as I had when I woke up.

"What..." She muttered as her senses came back to her, and then she quickly sat up in the box. "What happened?" She asked, and looked around, and then back to me. "We...we were drugged..." She said.

"Yep!" Higgs commented cheerfully from the pilot seat.

"It's alright," I assured her. "Apparently it was the only way to smuggle us out of the outpost."

"And you didn't think to mention that?" Vera demanded of Higgs, but his chair remained facing ahead, his back to us.

"Of course I thought of mentioning it. I'm a Dex. I think of everything." He replied, but said nothing else. "But I also don't take chances. Not telling you was more secure and it worked. We're approaching Star Hall now." He finished, and Vera's eyes looked past him and out the window, toward the already massive station growing larger as we neared it.

I could see a certain feeling of familiarity in her eyes as she looked toward it. She had history here. I remembered her telling me that her parents had paid off a bounty hunter to take her while they were on Star Hall, but beyond that I didn't know how long she had been there.

"What I said before..." I started, and Vera reluctantly pulled her eyes toward me. "I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." I said, slowly, and she just stared at me for a long moment. Not angry, or confused. Just watching.

"You weren't entirely wrong." She replied. "I am doing this to try and find my parents, but that's not just what I want." She added, using the word I had used. She looked away for a moment, and then held out her hand to me. "I want you to trust me."

I looked to her hand for a long moment, outstretched toward me, and then back to her eyes. And my mind wanted to over think what to say next, to plan, strategize. It was how I was taught, to think like a Dex - several steps ahead, every move carefully planned whenever it could be. But I couldn't do that with Vera. She forced me to go with my instincts, be the result good or bad.

She was making me be myself and not the person Paxer had built of me. I didn't know what to think of that other than a reluctant desire to find out more about that person buried beneath.

"Trust doesn't come easily to me." I replied, my hands still remaining away from hers. "I can count the number of people I've trusted on half of one hand." I paused again, taking a deep breath. "But I trust you." I finished, finally taking her hand. "You and only you."

A small smile crept on her face and maybe it made its way to mine as well, and then her eyes went back to Star Hall as it dominated the entirety of the ship's front window.