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Things You Must Let Go

The pirate base, built deep within an asteroid, was quite marvelous without its shell. The base, taken from an abandoned asteroid mine, was converted into a lawless city of outlaws, where everyone was fighting for themselves in the most part.

Despite of supposedly being a base without any law, it was still maintained by the ruthless security guard calling themselves 'preppers', short for preparators. They prepare themselves in case something was threatening the well-being of that place. Even so, corruption and violent people tended to make these preppers got more than what they bargained for.

The base, called Utal Len by Trell, named after his first ship, was a nightmare for law-abiding citizens. Individual rights were non-existent. Everyone thought that others were nothing but things to be exploited. They all looked for themselves.

Even when many people were condemning the practice of slavery, races like Saurians and Aldoons still practice them as part of their culture. The Federation was trying to find a loophole so they could ban slavery throughout the sectors, but somehow the only thing that prevent another galactic war was the slave business. And such, illegal trafficking ran without control, often without supervising. Pirates like Trell and many others gathered what they had found in their plundering for sale, as there was no value for themselves. It was not uncommon to find many poor souls being propped for display in actions, and others humiliated in front of a crowd of hungry people of all races. Such was the life in bases such as Trell's.

Upon entering the place they could identify as a marketplace, Rose was clearly disgusted by the drug addicts laid on the floor and a clearly dead Aldoon slowly decaying on the street corner. Slaves were being put on display, naked and tied to a pole, for hungry eyes to watch. The Lycan knew from the display that they were sex slaves, rid of their freedom. She was so angry that she wanted to jump up there and tore the slaver's neck apart, but Dairyu, sensing her agitation, pulled her towards him.

"Believe me, there are so many reasons to shut this place down, but clearly no one here won't agree with us, and they are already dead," said Dairyu. "Want to go back to the ship?"

"I-I'm fine!" said Rose, shaking.

"You're clearly not."

"I said I'm fine, Dairyu! I'm not a weak Terran who just wanted to be protected by hunky draconians."

"Except I'm not that bulky anymore. Let's simmer down and get a drink while we still can."

They went to the closest bar they could find, but upon opening the door, they were greeted by sexy female pole-dancing to a bunch of crowd. They were Terrans, one a human and another a lizardwoman. Rose tried to not pay attention to them, while Dairyu just didn't care, like it was normal for him. He went to the bar and ask for two drinks.

"I guess this is the best place in town, eh?" said Dairy sarcastically. "Of all the shit holes there is, everyone goes to find the stripper."

"Seriously, how are you staying alive all this time for being a sarcastic asshole?"

"Because everyone who disses me ends up dead," said Dairyu. "You gotta do what you gotta do to survive. So, how's Amhyr? Has he contacted you about what happened back on Terra?"

"He's...fine. He's currently taking a refuge on Luna Base with the twins, but it was clear that the perpetual eclipse has awakened dormant werewolf gene in one third of human population. The twins are alright because they are hybrids, but I'm worried with my brother. He's old, giant, and a white wolf. I know he's mystically immortal, but..."

"It's okay, Rose. We'll get through this. Now..."

Dairyu looked around, trying to find something of interest. After a while, he finally found it. The thing, or rather, a person, was wearing bright red armor and was getting drunk with some other bar patron. Judging from the armor and the state it was in, Dairyu could say that it was pieced together from scraps of other armors and hastily pieced together by whatever scrap they could use. Straps, adhesive material, those kinds of stuffs that were in abundance in scrap planets could be found with the person.

Rose noticed what he was looking and said, "Is that one of Trell's men?"

"Won't be sure until we ask. Trell may be a pirate, but he's smart and quite paranoid. He killed potential rivals in the past."

"Rivals?"

"Fellow pirates, smugglers, mercs, and even bounty hunters, like me. It's no coincidence that he was the most notorious criminal while no one is on par with him. He's good, but I guess he lost some of it after dying once."

"I don't follow."

Dairyu sighed. "It is really a mistake taking a scientist into a rowdy stripper bar. How ignorant are you with how this world work? You are the oldest of us all."

"I do not get my degree just to drink it down in an asteroid full of dead people," said Rose frustrated. "What do you think I am?"

"The daughter of the Van Helsing family with a long history of vampire hunting and lycanthropy who happens to be cryogenically frozen and taken by Scyllan pirates and married a Western draconian who is a former agent. That's quite a mouthful but it basically sums up everything about you."

"I bet no one can say that all in one breath."

"That's why it's written, dear."

"Oh no, you're not getting anywhere."

Rose and Dairyu turned towards a Scylla trying to hold a Terran, who was struggling to get away from him. She was clearly in distress, but looked annoyed, somehow to the amusement of the Scylla. Rose wanted to go and help, but Dairyu looked at her and shook his head, silently forbidding her.

"Bitches like you ain't gonna sell yourself to others. You're mine."

"I am not yours, you drunk idiot," said the Terran. "I have others to serve, so if you just get your hand..."

"Didn't you hear me, kiddo? You're mine. So, stop struggling and..."

The Terran woman took out a knife and slashed the Scylla at the cheek. Due to their thick hide, it did not leave a deep gash. The Scylla was momentarily stunned by the defiance, which the woman used to try to escape. However, his bigger size was clearly used for his advantage where he pulled the woman towards him forcibly and pinned her to the table. He then started to unzip his pants in his drunken stupor while the woman struggled.

Before the worst could happen, Dairyu stepped in front of the Scylla and said, "Hey, you're going too far. You want her, you pay her."

"It's not your fucking business, draconian!" exclaimed the Scylla.

"You're drunk and you need to calm down, okay? Does anyone here know this guy?"

When no one said anything, amidst the partying noise, Dairyu sighed and said, "Lovely. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Back down or you'll regret it."

"Yeah? And what can you do? I'm bigger than you!"

"But not half as smart."

That comment clearly enraged the drunk Scylla to the point he roared in anger and lifted his hands, trying to smash the smaller Dairyu. He was moving fast enough to dodge the slower Scylla while his hands smashed the glass table behind Dairyu. The Terran woman was nowhere to be found.

While the Scylla was fighting with Dairyu, Rose was already far from the fight with the woman in tow. She said, "Thanks, but I must return to work."

"Does that always happen?"

"Drunks do that all the time, but well...I kinda went overboard back there. Scyllas are the worst drunkards and they love to fight. Hey, miss?"

"Yes?"

"Are you...alive? I sensed something different about you. You're...alive, aren't you? You're not a solid, right?"

"That is quite correct. I presume you too?"

The woman suddenly broke down and cried in front of her. She then said, "I've never seen a living person for months! Please! You have to get me out of here!"

"Hold on, why are you even here?"

"Oh, everything was a chaos back home. My friends turned into werewolves and I was told to evacuate. Then this pirate ship captured me and sold me like some whore!"

"Ghosts do that to you?"

"Crazy, right? Please help me, miss! I don't care if I have a dormant gene or not, but you gotta get me out of this rock! I'm sick of being a sex toy for ghosts!"

Rose wanted to help her, but she wasn't sure if she was hearing her right? Dormant gene? Was she trying to become a werewolf?

"Before I let you into our ship, tell me why you are so concerned with dormant gene. Are you trying to become a Lycan?"

The woman was trying to regain composure when Calventis approached the two and said, "Hey, Rose. Where's Dairyu?"

"He's inside, getting involved with a fight. Would you be a dear and help him?"

"Getting into that junk hole? I'd rather drink Eytor juice than go in there!"

"I thought..."

"I'm 15, dammit!"

Rose just stared at him, realizing that the Scylla in front of her was still a teenager. The woman also stared at him in confusion.

"Anyway, who is this Terran?"

"Let's talk near our ship so you can feel calm, alright?"

Back in the bar, Dairyu managed to subdue the drunk Scylla and dispersed the crowd after giving them quite a show. He was relieved that the bar fight did not become a brawl, and he was even more relieved that his identity wasn't discovered yet. Somehow, seeing a black-scaled Orient draconian wasn't that out of place in an outlaw base, especially if that black-scaled draconian could fight. Either that, or they did not care.

What worried him was how the red armored Aqura wasn't even responding to the fight. Sure, a corrupt law enforcement force could be paid to look elsewhere, but it wasn't the case with him. He stared at them intently, as if reading his movement. After he left, though, Dairyu sighed in relief.

Capisa, who was waiting for the fight to finish, approached him and said, "We're not here to get involved in a bar fight."

"How about you? Have you found something of interest that can take us directly to him?"

"There's something more important than that."

The Aquros then approached the bar and said, "Aquran whiskey."

After the drink came for them, Dairyu wanted to grab one, but Capisa said, "It's not for Terrans. One small sip and you wish you are inside your ship. It's strong, even for Aqura."

"Why are you drinking whisky during a job? Is that habit?"

Capisa scoffed. "To drown my sorrow. Never thought the situation is worse than I thought. Ryu, this asteroid base...is not occupied by solids only. There are living people living here."

"What?! How?"

"Trell has been busy during our time travel accident," said Capisa. "He rebuilt the base and is planning to return to his glory. With the Federation in chaos trying to work around some major ancient space battles and Terra being incapacitated due to the Werewolf Crisis, he will have no one to stop him."

"And for the icing of the cake, we have more problems than this place. I bet closing that tear will cause accidental casualties we don't want to happen. Oh, now I feel like we are supposed to be chosen to go to the Spiral."

"If you're done being sarcastic, we haven't got much time. Seiryu is ready and on standby, while Rose and Cal is back on the ship, but I can't find Xsatuki and Dajar."

"I thought that snake knows the way around this place!"

"They are not the types to start going towards Trell, unlike you."

"Hey!"

"We need to find them. They are not primarily fighters."

"One problem after another," said Dairyu with a sigh.

***

While the rest of the group started to find out the base's problems, Xsatuki and Dajar wandered into a shady place. Dajar was clearly scared, while Xsatuki was trying to hold his own in there. The shady place was full of noises Dajar didn't want to hear. Not only that, everything was covered in rusted metal and the light was quite dim, with only torches made of natural fire lighting the place. It felt like a dungeon in a medieval setting fantasy game he liked to play.

"X-Xsatuki...are we lost?"

"I'm sure of it. We are close," said Xsatuki.

"Close to where?"

"Dajar, when I was taken as Odkar Trell's 'prize'...I wasn't alone. I was the only one who escapes, however...and the rest perished when this place was destroyed by the Federation."

"But you can't possibly save them all, right? Not with your body and you being alone."

"Yes...that's why...I wanted to find him...before it's too late."

Xsatuki stopped slithering and stared towards a rusted cell. Dajar could not see beyond some feet from the cell wall, but he could see a body that looked like a snake.

"It's here," said Xsatuki. "Dajar, open the door."

"Are you serious?"

"It's rusted iron. Go on."

Dajar was still in doubt about this, but he helped bend the iron anyway. It opened without any problems, in which Xsatuki quickly slithered inside. He was caressing a figure in the darkness, who was clearly bloodied and battered. Dajar pulled out an emergency light beacon and shine it towards the body. He gasped.

The light shone towards a naked Viper who was unable to even move. He thought he was dead, until he could hear a faint 'hiss' coming from him. Xsatuki coiled around his weak body and said, "Issthi, my love..."

"Your...love? He's your boyfriend? Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. It's my fault not helping him go. He's a weak Sslatha and needs my help."

"Do you need help?"

"Even without help...he was dying anyway. Becoming a solid only made his suffering worse."

The other Viper's eyes opened as he weakly said, "Tuki..."

"Shh...It's alright..."

"Tuki...I remember seeing a flash of light...then silence. I thought I've died. You...didn't escape. Why?"

"I escaped. It's a long story, but this is not the time. Let me help you out. Can you move?"

"I wish I could. I can't move my lower body," replied Issthi weakly. "I'm sorry, Tuki..."

"Don't say that! C'mon, let me help you..."

"Oh, so that's why Dairyu said you lost. You are far from that."

Xsatuki turned towards the owner of the voice, who was leaning by a prison cell. Dajar walked outside to see some of the guards were either knocked out or killed, then started to disappear.

"C'mon, Xsatuki, don't make this hard on all of us. We can't risk ourselves because you decided to return to your dead lover," said Seiryu. "We are preparing to go against Trell, so you can come with us or stay near the ship."

"Tuki, who is he?" asked Issthi weakly.

"A comrade. Seiryu...why are they trying to kill Trell?"

"It's obvious, right? They want to help you. I want to help you even though I think it's a waste of time. You know this base is nothing but a solid apparition of what was once there. Your lover is already dead."

"Yes, I know that! But why can't you understand our love?! I didn't even get to say goodbye to him! I should've saved him but all I did is to run away! I...want to stay with him for a while longer. He's like you, right? A solid?"

"He is now, but not for long." Seiryu then went silent, before saying, "Xsatuki, the solids are not those who died peacefully. They returned to the dimension of the living to tie up loose ends. Not everyone can have the will to live and return to life on their own accord. I am one of those exceptions. So, you will part with him sooner or later."

"We can still take him out of this base! I have so many things to say to him, and, and..."

Xsatuki started to hiss slowly and turned towards Issthi, who was too weak to even lift his upper body. He still had the power to caress the Viper. His scaly hands slowly move to Xsatuki's snout and rub it.

"Stop it, please," said Issthi slowly. "I know you fear what comes after. That is why you returned to a place where everything started. Our home is already gone, but it's not the end for you. I...guess that Terran is right. I had died. I felt life inside you, unlike anything I felt before. It is warmth and sincere. You have seen more than you should."

"Issthi..."

"And I'm sorry for causing you more harm than I should. I've...overstayed my welcome."

"Issthi, stop. I don't know any Sslatha aside from you. I can't do this alone."

"You still can. You are still alive, and you have those who won't lie to you anymore. You're too innocent for this world, and I'm so sorry that I dragged you into this mess."

Issthi then turned towards Dajar. "Hey, I have a request. Take good care of my lover here. He may look tough and he's willing to kill, but deep within his heart, he is lonely. Be his friend."

"Hmm, what do you think we are? We don't babysit," said Seiryu. "And besides, if he is willing to kill, then that's fine by me. Come on, Xsatuki, we're leaving."

Xsatuki turned towards Issthi, who was trying to make a smile on his snake face. He then said, "I'm...sorry, Tuki, but I'm at peace to know that you are still alive. Brave heart, Tuki."

Right after he said that, Issthi's body started to glow. Both Dajar and Xsatuki moved away from the Viper, with Seiryu only looking at the body. His wounds were gone, and he regained his strength to lift the upper part of his body. He looked at Xsatuki one last time before slithering away towards the wall, then vanishing.

The speechless Xsatuki couldn't understand what happened. He knew Issthi was already dead, but he didn't know that he could disappear like that. It was until Seiryu came to him and explain the reason to him did he understand.

"Your lover no longer has ties that bind him to this plane. Because of that, the 'anchor' is released, and thus he returns home. Simply said, he moved on."

"I never thought spirits can do that," said Xsatuki.

"There are things you saurians don't know that we Terrans know," replied Seiryu. "Sometimes, you just have to let go so they can leave us in peace."

"So, why haven't you?"

Seiryu didn't immediately reply, but after a while, he sighed and said, "I didn't say 'immediately', right?"

After saying that, he walked ahead of them, without ever looking back, amidst the jail's rowdy noises. Xsatuki and Dajar followed him without saying a word, but the Viper felt that a burden had been lifted upon seeing Issthi could finally move on. It was the only thing that he regretted. Yes, he could not keep his lover alive, but seeing that he died happy was enough for Xsatuki.

Now on to the task at hand: kill Trell and end his ghostly operation.