─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
SEASON 1 EPISODE 10
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Setting:
System: Kryx
Faction: Crimson Fleet
Planet: Suvorov
Place: The Lock, supermax UC prison
A/N: This is a packed chapter. Good luck.
☆☆☆
Jimin
"Hurry up, we don't have all day!"
Delgado kept screeching orders that made Jimin's head hurt. Hangovers were more pleasant than Delgado's grating voice. Granted, he had a deep tone that was somehow deeper than Sam Coe's, but that didn't change how Sam's was attractive while Delgado's wasn't. Maybe that was just because Sam was hot. Wait.
Jimin, calm down.
The UC super prison called the Lock was massive, but barely aboveground. Most of it hid underneath the surface to protect the prisoners and guards from the cold. According to Delgado, it was abandoned years ago, back when Jasper Kryx led a revolution. He had freed the prisoners and stolen prison shuttles to raid the Key.
Pirates were murderers who deserved death, but Jimin had to admit there were things he admired about them. Kryx being able to lead a revolt against the UC was inspiring. If only it led to a better outcome and not the formation of the pirates. At least it proved the UC, or any faction for that matter, weren't all-powerful. People could fight back and win. There was a certain comfort to that.
The Lock was shaped like a bunker with cubes of yellow-colored walls poking free from the surface. Jimin guessed they were watchtowers. It was daytime, but even with the sun out, visibility was low. Wind and ice made it impossible to see much farther than Jimin's gloved hands.
Delgado tapped on the glass of the watchtowers (that were more like watch cubes). No one answered, as expected. Delgado whistled and led the way to the entrance. No more of those scorpion-things Jimin couldn't remember the names of showed up. If he never had to see one again, he'd be happy.
When Y/n was under attack, Jimin didn't know what overtook him. The pirates were telling him to leave her and focus on them. He couldn't. It risked his life and position in the Fleet, but he found her more important than the credits. Fear had bubbled inside him at the very thought of losing her so soon. They had just met, yet she was the kindest person he had ever known. Even over Taehyung.
"This damn keycard better work," Delgado said as he approached the front door with the rest of them. "It cost us a fortune."
"Did Nyx make it?" Jimin asked, leaning against the wall. The double doors were a cyan color with UC letters on them. Delgado swiped the keycard on the scanner. It opened.
Delgado placed the keycard back in his suit. "You know Nyx?"
"Obviously. I know every Neon thug. He's the second best hacker in Neon." Jimin paused to take off his helmet and grin. He took it off for the sole purpose of showing off his radiant smile. "I'm the first."
"Best hacker in Neon, yet you're still stupid," Hoseok said as he strolled past. He craned his head over his shoulder to glare at Jimin. "Risking your life for a woman? Good grief, you must be desperate for pussy."
Jimin grabbed Hoseok's shoulder and slammed him against the wall. "Don't talk about her like that."
"Ohhh, I see," Hoseok whispered, dragging out every letter of the word. He smirked and blew a gum bubble that popped in Jimin's face. "It's serious, huh? Well I hope you know the Fleet comes before her. The Fleet comes before anyone. Even that mother of yours-"
Jimin pressed his elbow against Hoseok's neck, choking him. "How the fuck do you know about her?!"
"Idiots," Delgado muttered, walking by and letting Jimin and Hoseok hash it out. The rest of the rooks followed Delgado inside the Lock. Jimin didn't pay them any mind.
"Estelle reported you had a tattoo that looked like Kim Taehyung's work. Asked him about you, and what do you know? He knows all about your fucked up relationship with your mom. She's a druggie, yeah? Why bother with her? Just kill her-"
Jimin released Hoseok, which caused him to lurch forward and hold his knees to stay upright. Jimin dropped his helmet and didn't bother picking it back up. His hands were shuddering with the rest of his body, but it wasn't from the cold.
"Fuck you."
With his pistol in his grasp, Jimin made his way inside. His legs felt like they would give out at any moment. His lower lip quivered, but it got worse when he saw how many stairs there were. They spiraled down and down to the point where Jimin could barely see the floor.
Hoseok pushed Jimin aside and grabbed the railing before chuckling. "See you later, slow pokes."
In a flash, Hoseok hoisted himself over the railing and jumped. Jimin didn't care enough to grab him, but he was curious enough to see the splat. He peeked over the railing only to see Hoseok had a boost pack that activated as he descended. It spat out puffs of fuel that slowed Hoseok's fall until he was practically hovering. Then, he reached the ground. No injuries.
Jimin made a mental note to get himself a boost pack.
Jimin wasted no more time and rushed to follow the others down the stairs. It took five full minutes to get to the bottom. By the time they arrived, Hoseok was whistling and holding UC security armor Jimin assumed he would sell later.
Hoseok paused his whistling to instead blow another bubble. "What took you so long?"
"Aye, aye," Delgado said in a groan. "Do you ever shut up?"
Hoseok stuck his tongue out at Delgado before pushing off the wall and heading to the center of the room. The Lock's lobby was as massive as the drug problem in Neon. It was an open space with walls Jimin assumed had once been white. At the moment they were stained with greens and browns Jimin didn't want to know the origin of. Flickering lights hung above them. Their spacesuits ended up illuminating most of the vicinity.
The UC letters were huge and resting on the back wall. It was what Jimin imagined a stereotypical prison would look like. A prison he'd end up if he continued doing crime.
"Alright, listen up," Delgado said. He pushed Hoseok over and stood in front of the group of pirates. "We're here to search for any evidence Jasper Kryx left behind. I'm talkin' a map with a big red fucking X on it, yes? We find his cell, we search it, we go back to the Key, you get paid."
"You haven't tried this before?" Jimin asked.
Hoseok scoffed. "Of course we've tried this before, but you saw those scorpo-bitches on the surface. Every time we come here, most of our rooks die. Just today we lost two to those things."
"The last time we tried, we got to the Lock. Found out the hard way we needed a specific keycard inside, a keycard your 'friend' Nyx made," Delgado said, glaring at Hoseok. Hoseok grinned. "Since you two are such good friends, why don't you go clear the way ahead?"
Hoseok rolled his eyes and beckoned Jimin forward. As much as Jimin would rather get his pretty hands cut off than go anywhere with Jung Hoseok, he went along. At least he'd get paid by both the UC and Crimson Fleet.
As long as he survived, of course.
Jimin and Hoseok went to the back of the room, right under the UC letters. When they approached, Hoseok stopped and did an overdramatic bow.
"Ladies first, I insist."
Jimin flipped him off. "Asshole."
Jimin went inside and noticed nothing of value. It was a back hallway leading to what Jimin imagined was the rest of the prison. Particles of dust floated down and waved to him as they slumped to the cracked concrete making up the floor. Although they were indoors, the heating was far from working. That meant the cold still bit at his skin. Goosebumps formed on his arms, but his suit covered them.
The back of the room was a dead end. Jimin grunted and kicked the wall. It caused the entire place to shake. If the Lock was so unstable it could tremble just from a kick, Jimin didn't want to think about what would happen if they needed to use force to make progress on the Jasper Kryx case.
Hoseok entered while chewing his gum way too loudly for Jimin's liking. The pirate king stopped by Jimin's side and blew a bubble slowly, then popped it right next to his ear.
"Find anything?" Hoseok asked in between chews.
"It's a dead end."
"Of course it is. It'd be way too easy if, y'know, there was a massive sign saying 'Jasper Kryx was here.'"
As soon as Jimin turned to depart the back hall, a sudden surge of dust rained on him. Before he could react, the Lock shuddered and whined until rubble crashed down. Jimin's vision was obstructed by a cloud of dust. Coughs left his lips as he waved his hand in front of his face, and by the time he located the exit, he realized it was too late. They had been blocked off by a pile of boulders. There was no way in or out.
"Shit shit shit!" Hoseok shouted, rushing forward and standing next to the debris. "Del, can you hear me? Del? Del!"
Hoseok banged his fist against the rocks before groaning and staggering back. He paced back and forth and folded his hands into fists. Jimin decided against speaking in fear of angering the pirate king. After all, they were trapped in a tiny corridor together, and it was well-established that they weren't fond of the other.
What could go wrong?
"God dammit, why did he stick me with the rook?" Hoseok asked in a mutter.
Jimin huffed. "I'm not happy about it either, but back on Neon, we encountered problems like these all the time. Get your head out of your ass and think. Do you have any explosives that could burst through the debris?"
"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Hoseok patted his suit before throwing his hands in the air. "I don't have shit, rook."
"Calm down," Jimin said. He didn't care that saying those two words were almost guaranteed to get him killed. Hoseok went to speak, but Jimin raised his index finger to silence him. "Save the mental breakdown for later. Let me look around and see how fucked we are."
Hoseok veered against the wall and avoided eye contact, but he didn't disagree. Jimin took it as permission to peek around. The hallway was unremarkable. The ceiling light was brighter than the main lights the lobby had, but it still flickered and was far from reliable. Jimin pointed his suit's flashlight down the dead end. What he saw was a metal plate on the left side of the wall. Almost as if it was there to cover something.
Jimin approached and recalled the walls shaking when he had kicked them. He did the same tactic. His foot made contact with the metal plate, and it bent before keeling over.
"Huh," Hoseok mumbled as he approached. "Not bad."
"Oh, sorry, my ears were conveniently clogged at the exact moment you spoke. What'd you say?"
Hoseok elbowed Jimin before making his way inside the next room. Jimin snorted as he followed and noticed they had to go up a staircase, which they did. When they arrived at their destination, they found a dark, empty office with two frozen corpses wearing UC security armor. Hoseok picked up parts of the armor and strapped it to his pack.
Hoseok glanced back at Jimin. "What? It's valuable. Do you know how much Neon vendors pay for this shit?"
"Not judging. If you want to violate UC guards, go right ahead, you'll get no complaints from me."
Hoseok continued his looting spree before standing with a UC helmet in his hands. He tilted his head as he observed Jimin, and Jimin backed up and ended up hitting one of the many desks in the vicinity.
"Why do you hate the UC so much?"
"Isn't being a Freestar native enough of a reason?" Jimin asked. He made sure to keep his tone light and humorous, not scratchy and defensive.
"Not for you. You go out of your way to make life hell for the UC. Why?"
Jimin didn't trust Hoseok. In fact, he hated Hoseok so much he'd rather spend a day with a UC dog than the pirate king. Still, he found it hard to lie to the man, especially when Hoseok was likely one of the few who'd actually understand Jimin's reasoning.
"I don't know how to tie my shoes," Jimin whispered. "My mom promised she'd teach me, she told me it's as easy as putting on a coat." Jimin stopped and laughed. His voice began to stumble over itself. "She used to tell me about shoelaces with this... big, dumb grin on her face. She used to get so excited over the smallest things, like tying laces or watching my favorite cartoon with me. Then the Colony War hit, and dad was one of the first to die." Jimin cleared his throat and lost any amusement he once had. "After that, she never taught me how to tie my laces. She, uh... she never watched another cartoon with me again."
It went quiet. Jimin got awkward and motioned to one of the computers.
"This might work, let's take a look-"
"Rook," Hoseok interrupted, and Jimin hesitated before nodding. "I'll teach you to tie your laces."
Jimin smiled, but it wasn't out of joy. "Come on, let's get to work."
"Rook, I'm serious. Come here."
Jimin stiffened. When he didn't move, Hoseok made the move for him. The pirate dropped the UC helmet, knelt before Jimin, and placed his hands on his shoes. Jimin hadn't noticed the man was wearing thick sneakers with loopy laces. Hoseok undid them and hummed to himself while throwing the laces in the air as if they were performing an elaborate dance only Hoseok understood. The laces twirled and twirled until Hoseok completed his task: his shoes were tied.
"Simple. Now you try," Hoseok said, and Jimin went to protest when Hoseok shushed him. "Rook, we're in an office on a frozen planet with bitchy scorpions that want to eat us. This is the only break we're getting, so tie the damn laces."
Jimin got on one knee and undid Hoseok's laces. That part he knew how to do. As for the tying, Jimin didn't know where to begin. Hoseok had moved his fingers too fast, and that meant Jimin was guessing based on the quick glimpses he got at Hoseok's shoe tying lesson.
Jimin twisted the laces with his tongue shooting out to moisten his lips as if that mattered. The process was so strenuous that he ended up feeling sweat form on his forehead.
"Why'd you risk your life for a woman?" Hoseok suddenly asked.
"Dude, do you hate women or something?"
Hoseok laughed. Strange. If it wasn't Hoseok laughing, it would've been a charming sound.
"Parkie, I hate everyone. I like to think I hate everyone equally."
"Including Delgado?"
"Yes, even him," Hoseok said with a snort. "But he's the only person I'd risk my life for. I know he may seem like a bitter, obnoxious leader, and he is, but he's smarter than any of us. He's a true pirate."
"Are you? A true pirate, I mean."
Hoseok extended his arms as if he were Jesus. "No shit I am. I'm me. Didn't you see me jump down the stairs earlier? That was awesome."
"That's what being a pirate means?" Jimin asked as he fumbled a half-tied lace together. "Taking unnecessary risks and looking cool while doing it?"
Hoseok grinned. "You thought I looked cool?"
"Oh, you know what-" Jimin got to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. "Just answer the question."
"I will if you answer mine. Why her? You married or something?"
"I..." Jimin pinched his gloved ring finger. His mother still wore her wedding ring. "No. I don't know her that well."
"Yet you risked your life for her. Why?"
That was the million credit question. Why did Jimin ask for Y/n when he saw the vision of himself dying? Why did he hug her in a way he had never hugged anyone, even his own mother, before? Why did he risk credits, his life, and a spot in the Crimson Fleet for her? He cared for her, but he didn't know her that well yet. Sure, he knew her better than he knew almost everyone (including his mother), but that didn't change how he had known her for a short period of time. So why?
"Uh oh," Hoseok said with a whistle. He paused to pop his gum and place his foot on the desk so he could redo the tie Jimin horribly did. "Sounds like someone's having a serious case of denial, huh?"
"Excuse me?"
"Let me guess: you're questioning why you did it because you'd rather come up with some bullshit excuse than admit you're in love. I get it, I've been there. Back when I first met Del, I was partners with someone. I thought it was platonic... hell, I hoped it was. It was better than admitting feelings when the world was so shit, I bet it'd find a way to ruin that too. But it wasn't platonic. Now he's gone before I ever got the chance to tell him."
"It's not like that."
Hoseok finished his laces and met Jimin's eyes. "Funny, I said the same thing. You know, you really sound like a punk little bitch right now. You risked your life for her and practically dragged her away from those things while asking if she was okay. Even if that's not love, you got a complicated relationship, man."
Jimin decided to deflect as best he could. "I thought you said Fleet before anyone else."
"Of course, but I think you should go for it. I mean, you're... I..." Hoseok trailed off and did a small stomp on the ground. "Dammit."
"What?"
"I just... I don't like... ugh, fine, here it goes: I trust you won't betray the Fleet. Ew. I need to clean my mouth after saying that weak ass shit."
Jimin couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Oh no, the big, bad, scary pirate king thinks I'm trustworthy. Oh nooo. What ever shall I do-"
"Alright!" Hoseok stormed by Jimin and turned on one of the computers. It wasn't surprising that the supermax prison, let alone a UC prison, had emergency power that could keep the facility running under dire circumstances. "Shit, locked. You said you're the best hacker on Neon?"
"I like to think best hacker in general, but yeah, we'll stick with 'on Neon' for now."
Hoseok dug into his pocket and pulled out a digipick. It was a black cylinder device with buttons that would aid Jimin in the lockpicking process. He tossed it to Jimin, and Jimin caught it with ease.
"Let's see how good you really are."
Jimin agreed and saw the digital lock on the screen. He held the digipick up to it, synced it, then noticed the puzzle he had to crack. The digipick displayed a dark screen with a cyan puzzle where he'd take digital keys and put them in the right slots. However, if he used the keys wrong, he'd fail and have to start over. One problem: Jimin had no idea if Hoseok had more digipicks. That meant if Jimin messed up, they were screwed.
No pressure.
What a digipick puzzle looks like
It was an advanced lock, which meant it had more keys than the average lock. Jimin glanced at each slot and analyzed the keys he had. There were multiple slots he could put them in, but only one would lead to the correct answer to the-
Oh. He got it.
Jimin chuckled at his victory and put the keys in the correct slots. A few moments later, the lock was picked and they had access to all the UC's dirty secrets. Well, by dirty secrets Jimin meant the door controls, but it was better than nothing.
Hoseok bumped Jimin and made him move away from the screen. From there, he unlocked all the available doors near them. AKA: one door. It was the one in the corner of the room that led to the next sector of the prison, and Jimin went dashing over as soon as it opened all the way.
It was a hallway that went to what looked to be the meat of the prison: the cells. Jimin sprinted down the hall, burst through the door at the end of it, and gasped when he saw how massive the Lock truly was.
The UC spared no expense, huh? It was a giant, cave-like area with a guard tower in the middle of it all. Creaking, shaking walkways hovered in the air and the middle of the room was just a drop to the depth below. Hoseok would survive thanks to his boost pack, but Jimin made a note to be careful. One misstep would lead to death.
"Ah fuck," Jimin mumbled before pressing his back against the wall.
Hoseok walked by with a snicker. "Awh, what's wrong, Parkie? Scared of heights?"
"Fuck off, I don't have a boost pack."
"Not my problem. I'm going to the guard tower to see where Jasper's cell was. Stay here, try not to die. Or do. I don't care."
Hoseok took off with his boost pack and flew across the void that made up the center of the prison. Jimin panted and refrained from so much as peeking down. He kept his gaze on Hoseok as the man made his way to the tower and kicked down the door. It was too far for Jimin to observe what went down inside, so he decided to shut his eyes and pretend he wasn't in a room with a giant gaping hole in the middle of it.
Two minutes felt like two years. By the time Hoseok came back, Jimin was clinging to the rocky wall for dear life and didn't care that his face looked a mess. Hoseok laughed at him.
"Pussy. Come on, I unlocked the cells in the third block. That's where Jasper's cell is. Follow me."
Jimin took baby steps down the walkways that creaked and wobbled with every step he took. Since the prison was built underground, most of it was nothing of value and just rocks upon rocks. Jimin felt like he was back on Vectera, working in the mines.
Upon looking up, Jimin noticed Hoseok had a scarf visible. It was a thick red scarf that bounced on the back of his armor. It likely jumped out of his armor after he flew across the chasm. Jimin opted not to ask about it.
They made their way to solid ground. The cave floor made Jimin double over and begin kissing it, not caring if he got a hundred diseases from it.
Hoseok sighed. "Rook, please get up. You're embarrassing me."
Jimin grunted and did as he was told, continuing to follow Hoseok through the cave that had many cells built into the walls. Jimin hated the UC, but he had to admit the design was fantastic. No one could make it in or out unless they were expert hackers like Jimin, and that was assuming they even had digipicks to work with. The fact that Jasper Kryx had been able to lead a successful raid was beyond impressive. No wonder why the pirates were so dangerous. If they had even half of Kryx's determination, the galaxy was in trouble.
Hoseok threw open the barred door to one of the cells and skipped his way inside. It was plain and the stereotypical cell: a bed, a toilet and sink, and a little desk with a deactivated lamp on it.
"Search the room. Find whatever you can," Hoseok said.
Jimin kicked at the walls and noticed nothing of note. Hoseok checked the bed thoroughly. By thoroughly, Jimin meant to the point where he knocked it over and tore up the underside of it. It was one of those thin spring beds that couldn't possibly have anything hiding inside, but Hoseok checked anyway.
Jimin tilted his head and scanned over the desk. There were no drawers, only a surface and a missing chair. The lamp, though. It seemed lopsided near the bottom. It was uneven and stood at an angle that didn't make sense. So, he went over and pried off the base. An audio slate slipped out, and the sound of it hitting the desk caused Hoseok to snap around.
"Holy shit, you're useful!" Hoseok exclaimed before rushing over and activating the slate. Static filled the air, then, an unknown but deep voice replaced any noises the prison made.
"Today, I bumped into someone in the mess hall yapping about a ship carrying a fortune in credits. I know it's usually bullshit, but he seemed to have details," the voice said, and Jimin assumed the one speaking was Jasper Kryx. "After striking up a conversation, I found out the ship was a GalBank Transport named "Legacy" that went down in some remote system. This is exactly the score I'd been waiting to find. I need to contact Carter to let him know it's time to get off this rock. He'll have the mining detail slip into the utility closet in the ventilation room. That's where we'll dig. Not up, but through. Right to the armory. By this time next month, I should be out of this dump and uploading those creds into my account."
The recording ended there, and Hoseok snatched it from Jimin before running out. Jimin went after him and watched as Hoseok navigated the prison with ease.
"What the hell is going on, Hoseok?" Jimin asked in a heave as he struggled to keep up.
"I know where the closet is! That's our ticket out of here!"
"How the fuck do you know where it is?"
"The tower had a map on the computer!" Hoseok tapped the side of his head as he ran. "Photographic memory, rook. It's the only thing Del likes about me other than my dashing good looks."
It pained Jimin to hear Hoseok speak like that, mostly since he sounded like Jimin. Jimin loved crime and hated the UC, but he couldn't imagine becoming a pirate. All the damage they had caused was a line even Jimin wasn't willing to cross.
After rushing down several bland hallways and cells, they made it to the closet that had a hole cut into the wall. All the supplies were missing and the two lockers in the cramped space were knocked over. Jimin had no time to think since Hoseok went through. And so the chase continued.
Inside awaited an icy area that led to the armory. Of course, it was picked clean. Only a few boxes of ammo remained. None of them were compatible with Jimin's weapons. All the lockers, which there were plenty of, were open with pieces of armor scattered on the concrete floors. Hoseok's scarf flew back and almost hit Jimin in the face as he passed by.
Jimin ignored it and went to the benches, noticing another slate. He picked it up and pressed play, and the same voice sputtered out.
"The shuttle bay is dead ahead. We get into the bay, hop on a shuttle, then take it right to the Key. If anyone finds these logs, join me. The UC doesn't stand a chance against all of us."
The audio ended there, and Hoseok took the slate from out of Jimin's hands.
"That's our ticket out of here. We'll get a shuttle and fly back over to camp and find Delgado."
"You think he left?"
Hoseok waved his hand. "I would. He probably thinks we're dead."
"You don't think he'd try to save you?"
"Why would he?" Hoseok asked with a snort.
There was no time to ask any further questions. Instead, Jimin followed Hoseok to the next room, which was just a place for stairs that went up to the warden's office. Hoseok made Jimin go first, and he did without hesitation. The sooner he was off that rock, the sooner he'd get paid. It was a win-win for everyone.
The warden's office was the only bright room in the prison. It had yellow walls and a high white ceiling with a fan that didn't budge. However, the lights were on full capacity as if all the power in the building went to it. The computer was active but seemed to have its files wiped. There was a security door in the corner of the room that steered out to the shuttle bay. Jimin peeked through the window and spotted a single small shuttle waiting there, and the icy landscape looked clear.
"Alright, I'll open the door, but prepare for those scorpion bitches," Hoseok said as he went to the computer and fiddled with it. "This computer's unlocked. Jasper's work, no doubt. I hear he was an excellent lockpicker like you."
"Did you just compliment me?"
Hoseok froze. Then, he cleared his throat. "Shut up."
The door opened before Jimin could speak, and Hoseok made him go first. Jimin went down the squeaking metal staircase and ended up on the ice. The ugly, murky yellow shuttle wasn't far, but just in case, Jimin kept his footsteps light and delicate as to not attract unwanted attention. Hoseok did the same and didn't so much as whisper instructions. They were careful, quiet, and observant.
It didn't matter.
The ground shuddered with terror, and soon enough, legs broke into their vision and popped out of the giant clumps of snow surrounding them. However, it wasn't a pack of scorpions like Jimin had been expecting. No, it was a single one: the queen.
It was a massive scorpion the size of three Hoseoks with the width of five Jungkooks. It had a stinger that could tear Jimin's body in half. If he didn't die from the poison, he would from the gaping hole it would leave.
"Oh shit!" Hoseok shouted before opening fire. He activated his boost pack and hovered to give himself a better vantage point. Jimin jumped behind the staircase to give himself slightly better odds. From his position, he fired with his pistol, but a pistol wouldn't do anything against the goliath they were battling.
The queen scorpion went after Hoseok and launched its stinger at him. He dodged, but barely. The queen predicted his dodge and knocked him down with one of her gigantic legs. Hoseok crashed into the ground.
But before the queen could deliver the final blow, Jimin jumped out of cover and fired a bullet at the queen's beady eye. The beast howled and whipped around to face him.
"Over here, motherfucker!" Jimin yelled. The creature scampered over, and Jimin rushed up the stairs and back into the warden's office. The queen was far too large to fit inside, which resulted in it hollering at him but unable to do much else. Jimin peered out the window and watched Hoseok stumble to his feet and out of the queen's potential range. However, what interested Jimin most was the ice on the ground. It shook and cracked, and that was when he realized there was water underneath.
He had a plan. A stupid plan, but he knew there was no way the two of them could beat a queen on their own. If they made a run for the ship, there was a high chance the queen would either A) kill them before they got there or B) destroy the shuttle. That meant they had to kill it. And Jimin knew how.
Jimin bolted out of the warden's office and to the top of the stairs. The queen clawed at him, but he was too high up and out of the way. For good measure, he fired a few rounds of his pistol. It didn't leave so much as a dent on the monster's body.
Hoseok activated his boost pack and went as high as he could, but the pack could only handle so much. The sound alerted the queen to his movement, and a beat later, Hoseok opened fire. The rifle did more damage, but not enough. The queen lunged toward him but missed. That gave Jimin his opening.
He went down the stairs and crossed the ice to the shuttle. The ramp was down and waiting for them. All they had to do was get rid of the queen.
"Hoseok! Give me your weapon!" Jimin shouted, and the pirate glared at him.
"Are you fucking insane-"
"Do you trust me?"
Hoseok hesitated despite how the queen was right beneath him, desperately attempting to jump up and grab him, but he was just out of reach. After a long, painful moment, Hoseok raised his arm and threw the rifle to Jimin's position.
Jimin picked it up and didn't waste any time. He fired at the ground surrounding the queen, and it hissed at him. Dents and bullets formed in the ice. Jimin kept firing and firing and firing until he ran out of ammo. However, the deed had already been done. By the time the queen planned its countermove, the ice cracked, and the surface rumbled.
"Come on! Get over here!" Jimin said.
Hoseok obeyed and flew over. The queen reached for him, but it was too late. The ice split open, and it fell through into the water, scrambling to swim. Jimin didn't bother watching the process. If they didn't move, the shuttle would fall in, too.
Jimin got onboard with Hoseok. He shut the door and climbed the ladder to the cockpit but didn't analyze the layout of the ship. Instead, he plopped his fat ass in the pilot's seat and turned on the controls. The engines started just as Hoseok strapped himself in next to Jimin. The yoke called to Jimin, and he answered it. He pulled up and drew the landing gear at the same time the ice collapsed. The staircase leading to the warden's office plunged into the freezing water. The queen would likely freeze to death or drown, and part of the Lock's exterior was soaked in water.
Jimin did it.
A chuckle left his body before he could tell it to stop, and he flew them back to camp. Since it was nearby and the shuttle was fast, he didn't have to fly for long. Considering he was far from a good pilot, that was for the best. He landed next to his ship, though the landing was rocky without the assistance of Y/n. He ended up putting the nose of the ship on the ground. However, he was too relieved to care.
Jimin got up and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't noticed how much sweat was there, and he also hadn't realized he bit so hard on his lower lip he had blood there. He could taste and smell it, but did it matter in that moment? No.
"Holy fuck," Hoseok whispered as he stood. He took his rifle back from Jimin before patting him on the shoulder. "Good shit, rook."
"That was definitely a compliment."
Hoseok brushed him off. Then, he sighed. "You could have let that thing kill me and taken the distraction to leave, but you didn't. Why?"
Jimin shrugged. "Fleet before anything else, right?"
"Well I'll be damned," Hoseok said with a whistle. "I don't care what Del thinks, you're one of us now. And... thank you. I would've died if it weren't for you. Shit, I swallowed my gum during that, I'm surprised I didn't die from choking."
The two shared a laugh before leaving the shuttle and seeing that Delgado and the other pirates were there. But what Jimin didn't expect was for Y/n to be there with her Breach pointed at them.
"Where is he?! Is he on that shuttle that just landed?!" she shouted, and Delgado held up his hands.
"I don't know! I told you, we got cut off when-"
"Shut up! Get on that shuttle and find him! I'm not leaving here without him!"
She had her helmet on and her armor covering her body, yet he could see the way her hands trembled. It was subtle; you'd have to be paying close attention to notice, but he saw it anyway. That caused him to race over to them.
"I'm right here, I'm okay," Jimin said. With his helmet off, he could feel the bitter cold of Suvorov, but it didn't matter. Y/n was safe, and for some reason, that was enough. Shit, maybe Hoseok was right, but Jimin couldn't think about that at that time. He didn't have a chance to seeing as Y/n dropped her weapon and scurried her way over to him.
She embraced him so hard it knocked him over, and they ended up in the snow with her on top of him. He groaned but wrapped his arms around her regardless.
"God damn, woman. You don't skip arm day, do you?"
"You... you... asshole!" she said, and she wheezed as she said it.
Jimin gasped. "Did the Universal actually curse?"
"Shut up! I thought you died! I thought you... I thought..." She broke off and made a noise that resembled a whimper. "Damn you, Park Jimin."
Hoseok strolled by and winked at Jimin. "'It's not like that' my ass."
Jimin showed him the middle finger and went back to holding her. Although she had a helmet on, he could hear her soft sobs, and he shushed her cries.
"What do you say we go back to the Lodge, drink our asses off, then pass out for fifteen hours?" he whispered, and she sniffled.
"Universals don't drink."
"Ah, then I'll drink extra on your behalf. What do you say?"
She buried her covered head against his neck. The metal plating hurt, but he didn't mind.
"Make it twenty-four hours and you got a deal," she muttered.
He had the overwhelming desire to kiss her head, but the helmet prevented that from happening. "Deal. And hey, don't take this the wrong way, but you're wearing like fifty pounds of armor. Can you let me breathe please?"
Y/n got off him and helped him up. When he got to his feet, he noticed all the pirates were staring at them. Jimin instinctively got in front of her and placed his hands on his hips.
"What is this, high school? Stop staring and mind your own business, we have more important things to discuss. Hoseok and I found Kryx's cell and found what he was looking for. Kryx's Legacy is referring to a GalBank ship with more credits than anyone can count. It went down in a remote system Kryx didn't name."
"And you feel comfortable sharing this in front of your woman?" Delgado asked with an eye roll.
"Del, knock it off," Hoseok said, sharply nudging his co-commander. "Jimin saved my life. He can do whatever the hell he wants."
"Alright, alright, I get it, you two are in love." Delgado moved away from Hoseok and crossed his arms over his chest. "Come back to the Key tomorrow and we'll work on the next steps. For now, you're in the Fleet."
Hoseok grabbed Delgado's shoulder. "Jimin found the evidence. He's more than just in the Fleet, he deserves extra compensation. Without him, I'd be dead and we'd be as screwed as before. Would it kill you to be less grumpy? You'll get frown lines."
"Aye, this man," Delgado mumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine, you'll get extra credits, and you can consider yourself a trusted member of the Fleet." Del turned to Hoseok. "Happy?"
Hoseok grinned. "Very."
Delgado turned back to Jimin. "Go get some rest. Based on what Hoseok says, you've earned it. And, for whatever it's worth, thank you for saving my co-commander's life even though he's an obnoxious prick."
"I love myself for that," Hoseok said with a short nod.
Then, the pirates dispersed, and Jimin was left with Y/n. She picked up her Breach and strapped it around her back before approaching him. She fiddled with her fingers then motioned to the ship, and together, they entered. As soon as he closed the doors, she took off her helmet and sighed.
"Hey, uh... forget I cursed, okay?"
Jimin came closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "You fucking cursed? No fucking way. You're such a bad fucking girl."
"Shut... shut up," she mumbled. She attempted to get past him, but he grabbed her wrists and pressed her against the wall.
He smirked. "Were you worried about me, princess?"
"Jimin," she tried, but her voice cracked.
"Mmm, I see. You were worried. Does the Universal care about the criminal from Neon? Hm?"
"You're ridiculous. Let's get back to the Lodge and sleep."
She managed to squeeze past him, and he watched her go. Jimin's heart felt at peace. Not because he escaped the prison alive (which was a plus), but because he witnessed Y/n's fierceness. Jimin couldn't recall the last time someone had fought for him like that. She held her shotgun to the throat of the leader of the Crimson Fleet. Despite knowing how she couldn't kill him due to the chaos that would cause, she still risked it. For him. For Park Jimin. The amount of tingles that brought to his body made him want to giggle like a toddler and play with his hair-
Shit.
Hoseok was right: Jimin liked her. He liked her a lot.
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Upcoming Location:
System: Alpha Centauri
Faction: United Colonies
Planet: Jemison
Place: The Lodge
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SEASON 1 EPISODE 10
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