Sparrows Need Engineers Ch. 03: Lost

"Girl?- Oh, this is Craysar, he's traveling through and Jops fixing up his clothes." Jerec answered.

Craysar wavered slightly, seeing the odd eye color and wondering if she was what he thought she was. Remembering how confused he was when he saw Yoshas teal eyes, then finding out she wasn't human. He then watched as her eyes seemed to darken, a pensive glare coming forth as the woman heard Jerecs answer and explanation. The shift made Craysars knees shake and become in danger of buckling, sending him flailing to the floor in worried confusion.

"Pleasure to meet you." Rappashae said.

Craysar dipped his chin, "P-Pleasure." He meekly said, seeing this seemed to enrage her, the glare oozing ominous energy as he thought he would ignite underneath it.

Jerec handed over the bag and was satisfied it was in good hands, chatting with Rappashae for a moment before turning back to Craysar. "Ok, lets get goin, I'll call Tuegrin and see if they've gotten anything to eat already."

Craysar nodded, heading to the door with Jerec, he couldn't help himself. Glancing back one more time, shaking slightly as he saw Rappashaes pensive stare glaring at him with what seemed like hateful intent.

......

Tuegrin looked at her phone, seeing a call from Jerec, looking back to Yosha and saying. "Hold on, and don't think like that."

Yosha shook her head, "Why, it's just how it is." She said while leaning back in the booth of the small restaurant they entered, wondering when the waiter was going to come by.

"Yeah, we're at the busted gullet, you close by?" Tuegrin asked.

Yosha watched as the woman nodded and looked happy with whatever answer she received.

"Ok, we'll order drinks." Tuegrin said, "Ok, see you soon." Then hanging up.

"They on their way?" Yosha asked.

"Yeah, said they're about a block away, I'm gonna order a drink for him, you know what Craysar wants?" Tuegrin replied.

"How should I know?" Yosha answered as she looked for the waiter.

Jerec hung up the phone, smiling as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes, taking one and putting it to his mouth.

Craysar watched him light it, he didn't smoke himself, but he did enjoy the initial smell of it. The first burn of the paper and leaves as the person puffed and let the cherry start to smolder. He wondered what they would eat.

"So Craysar, what's your real name?" Jerec said, glancing at the man.

Craysar looked slightly shocked, "You really did your research on the Galaxara." He said before smiling softly, "It's Crames. But it's been some time since I've gone by that name."

Jerec nodded, "Well I'll keep it to myself, but if you'd like to go by it again, let me know."

Craysar felt flustered at the thought, hanging up the Galaxar name and going by the one his mother had given him was a big deal. He remembered how he'd picked his new one, and how he instantly liked the sound of it. But now thinking of how Yosha said it, he imagined what it would sound like if she called him by his true name. "If you know the name, you know the journal?"

Jerec nodded, "Yup, how many are you on?"

Craysar thought of the previous books he had filled and sent in, added to the Galaxara library and waiting for curious eyes to find. It was normal for their travels to be recorded and sent back, showing the graciousness and vulgarity of man and galaxy. Two sides of the same coin, although he had been lucky enough to see the more lighthearted option of it. "I've finished quite a few by this point, well over twenty I would say."

"You've had a lot of fun then." Jerec said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Craysar shrugged, "Some good, some bad, but all to the will of Galaxara."

Jerec nodded, "Galaxara."

Craysar smiled, "Yeah, Galaxara."

Jerec rounded the corner and quickly puffed his smoke, finishing it and flicking the cherry off of it before he stuffed the butt in his back pocket. Not wanting to litter the street with the little bit of trash his bad habit always produced. Opening the door and stepping in first he looked around, quickly finding the two women waiting for them. He crossed the area and arrived at the table, just in time to hear Tuegrins angered tone.

"Fucking drop it."

Jerec pretended like he didn't hear it, sliding next to Tuegrin and smiling, "Hey, what have you two been up to today?"

Craysar slid in next to Yosha, smiling, "Hello."

Yosha took another drink of her beer, glaring at Tuegrin before she waved to the waiter.

Jerec picked up the cup that was next to Tuegrin.

"Got you a gin and tonic." She said as she watched him take a sip.

The waiter approached and smiled, "Can I get you a drink, sir?"

Craysar looked at him and smiled, "Just a water is fine."

Yosha leaned forward, speaking to Tuegrin, "I'm hungry, we've been eating ship food for months."

"The food here's really good, I get the chili dog most of the time." Tuegrin said, not looking Yosha in the eye as she answered.

Craysar could feel some kind of tension in the air, looking at Yosha and seeing she looked frustrated. "Everything alright?" he whispered with concern.

"Fine, find something to order." She said as she tried to not bring attention to the question.

......

Finished with the food Jerec walked with Tuegrin out of the restaurant, Craysar waiting behind for Yosha as she was in the bathroom.

"You good?" he asked with concern.

Tuegrin shook her head slightly, "Just worried."

"About?" Jerec responded.

"Later." She said quietly.

Craysar approached the two, "Thank you again for paying, I really do appreciate it."

Jerec shrugged, "Don't worry about it dude, how'd you like the burger?"

"It was really delicious, the sauce was quite messy, but I did enjoy it." Craysar answered.

Yosha exited the restaurant to join the three of them on the sidewalk, taking a deep breath and feeling like she may have eaten too much. "I could go for a nap after that." She said, breaking into a yawn as the sun in the sky seemed to be shining right in her wincing eyes. She looked at her phone, realizing what time it was and quickly shifting her mind into work mode. "I got to get back to the port, my ships supposed to be unloaded soon."

Tuegrin nodded, "Ok, well you know how to get back to our place right?"

"Yeah, it's not too far, I'll be back in a bit." Yosha replied, she waved goodbye for the time being and headed in the opposite direction. But hearing another set of steps she stopped, looking behind her and seeing her little follower in toe. "You're not going with them?"

Craysar looked up at her, slightly hurt by the question, "Uh- I- I can, if you-"

"Go with them, there's going to be heavy equipment in the area and I don't want you getting in their way." Yosha said.

Craysar shrunk in on himself, "Ok, I will return with them." Then turning around and quickly rushing back to Tuegrin and Jerec.

Jerec looked back, seeing Craysar returning, he looked past him at Yosha. Seeing the woman walking on her own and leaving him behind, Jerec could see Craysar was disappointed by this. "Hey, cool you're coming with us! You want some ice cream?"

Tuegrin looked at Craysar and glanced back at Yosha, biting her tongue as she worried about the night that was ahead of them. She looked at Jerec, seeing him put an arm around Craysars shoulder and beginning to talk about whatever he could.

"We got these frozen bananas dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with nuts too, they're so good!" Jerec smiled and tried to cheer Craysar up. "That and some movies tonight, oh- we'll all camp out in the living room!"

"Really?" Tuegrin asked, she watched Jerec give her a concerned look, she could tell he was being serious. "Yea- yeah lets have a camp out in the living room, my sisters and I used to do that when we were growing up." Tuegrin said.

Craysar smiled, "Oh, my cousins and I used to do something like that, Jerec did you have that growing up as well."

Tuegrin looked at Jerec, seeing the man looking ahead but squeezing Craysar a little tighter. "No, never got the chance."

"No siblings?" Craysar asked.

Jerec shook his head, "No- Hey what about horror movies!?"

Craysar flinched, "Tonight, but I don't know if I'll be able to sleep after something like that."

"Oh but it's perfect, you'll have us around!" Jerec responded.

Tuegrin watched Jerec try to change the subject, pulling Craysar to walk faster back to their home.

......

Yosha hit the entry key for her shuttle, allowing the ramp to open and extend to the ground so it could touch down and be ready for unloading. Walking up the ramp she checked the cargo that she had been contracted to move, seeing the straps still in place and the canisters safe.

She undid the straps and ensured the entry area was clear, looking out to the port and wondering when the crew would arrive to unload the cargo. She went to the back of the cargo area, sitting on one of the tool crates and feeling bored in the empty shuttle. Taking a moment to try and force herself to enjoy the solitude that came with the empty area, seeing the blue sky outside with the light breeze.

She growled as she began to feel anxiousness swelling up inside of her, wondering where the crew was so she could be unloaded and lock her ship again. She began to pace back and forth, walking out of the area and up the stairs she went to the bunk rooms, going in to grab her laptop and bringing it back out to the cargo hold. Stepping through the same spot she had Craysar just a few days prior.

She set her laptop up on one of her toolboxes and sat on a shorter crate, turning the computer on and scrolling through the apps that were downloaded onto it. She saw she still had an internet tab open, clicking it and bringing up an empty web page. She furrowed her brow, then seeing the page reload and showing a write up on ship thruster improvements that could be made while at port.

She thought of reading it again, when she had a small idea spring up in her mind, so minimal at first she almost passed it by. Then deciding to latch on to it and invest the time it required, she opened another tab and went to the standard search engine for all internet data she may have ever wanted to find.

Typing in the search bar: 'Cargo Crafts Jerec'

Hitting enter and not holding her curiosity, she watched as the system processes her request Watching the internet icon spin before a new screen appeared and populated. She saw the Cargo Crafts logo appear and the link for the businesses website, she clicked it and wondered if this would be a fruitless endeavor. Scrolling through and seeing a paragraph stick out in bold letters.

'Cargo Crafts is eager to offer employment opportunities to those struck by unfortunate times. If you feel the hope to turn your life around, please do not hesitate to inquire about positions that may be available for you! We at Cargo Crafts believe that an open door and the support of a team are much more valuable than a spotless record. Whether you've been a victim of drug abuse, served your time in incarceration, or are just looking to begin a new career. We would be happy to welcome you with open arms and the chance to prove yourself.'

Yosha glared at the screen, going back to the search bar and beginning to search with more outrageous key words.

'Jerec "Pilot" '

'Jerecole flight school'

'Jerecole arrest'

Stopping as she found the image that made her lips peel in disappointment, Jerecs angry eyes looking at the camera as a man held the mop of messy hair up. The numbers on the wall denoting his height as it was more than clear she had found his mugshot.

She scrolled down and began looking through the charges, seeing misdemeanors listed with smaller offenses. Finding the last one saying he was arrested for possession of narcotics along with other illegal substances. A small star appearing by the write up caught Yoshas attention, she hovered over it and saw another write up appear.

'Charges dropped in accordance with Renewed Life Act 77-529, offender has completed rehabilitation and passed technical training pertaining to future career.'

Yosha felt anger rising in her gut, unable to believe Tuegrin could be stupid enough to waste her time with a man like this.

"Are you Yosha?" a voice called out from outside, "we're here to unload the cargo."

Yosha snapped her head up, looking up to see an older man standing at the bottom of the ramp, she stood up and nodded. "Yeah, come on up." She said, seeing him wave a forklift over before he walked up the ramp.

He inspected the cargo and accepted the items, thanking her and calling the forklift driver to come up the ramp and receive the pallet. Lifting it and taking it back down, the man turned to her, "Thank you, if you want another contract you can go to the ports website and find listings. Also, there's printed shuttle schedules for outgoing and incoming crafts available at the kiosk at the front of the port."

Yosha nodded, watching the man go back down the ramp before she sat back down and looked at her laptop. Looking at Jerecs mug shot, she opened an image search app on her computer and highlighted Jerecs face. Allowing the system to process and begin its search through the web and find more images related to the man.

'If he's got a mug shot, he might have other things out there that Tuegrin also doesn't know about.' Yosha thought.

A window popped up on her screen; 'Do these images pertain to your search?' it asked. Yosha looked at three images that came up, seeing an overweight man with blonde highlights, noting that he didn't fully resemble Jerec. Seeing a woman in the next one, then seeing the last one was Jerec wearing eyeliner, the background being a darker city street. Yosha clicked on it as the system took the information and kept working.

Another pop-up window opened, this time showing five images, three of them matching Jerec, Yosha clicked on the ones of him. Repeating the identification game until a list of possible images and sites related to him was finalized and given to her on a new screen.

The system paused, blurring out the list as an acknowledgment window opened.

'Some of these results contain graphic and illicit behavior, by hitting the; 'OK' button, you are verifying that you are over the age of 18.'

Yosha hit the OK button, seeing the list and looking at the site names, her eyes widening as she began to go through the list. Clicking one of the links as she furrowed her brow, reading, 'Aboysgottapayrent' as the sites URL.

A new screen opened, the video player taking her by surprise as she watched it load, then suddenly a frozen picture of a much younger Jerec on screen. The video beginning to play automatically as the buffering finished.

"So you gotta pay rent?" a man asked.

Yosha couldn't see who was speaking as he was holding the camera, the only one appearing was Jerec. His hair much shorter, sitting on a couch and nervously holding one arm over his chest as he hugged himself. Looking at the camera with what Yosha could see was a touch of shame.

"Y-Yes." Jerec said.

"Well hey, there's nothing wrong with that, it's expensive out there and some easy cash can go a long way." The man said with a kind tone. "What's your name?"

The younger Jerec gulped, looking down and saying, "Jaydee, um, my names Jaydee."

"Ok, so, how bout a hundred creds?" the man asked.

Jerecs eyes brightened, nodding his head yes as he bit his lip.

"Ok," The man held up a crisp hundred credit bill, waving it in front of the camera, the boys eyes glued to it while he held his breath. "Hundred creds."

Yosha listened to the rooms silence being broken by rustling of clothes, Jerecs eyes on screen lowering. His body visibly deflating as he looked at something in front of him that wasn't in view of the camera yet. Yosha leaned closer, holding her breath as she waited with wide eyes.

"Suck my dick, and you'll make a hundred creds."

Yosha watched as Jerec got on his knees, the camera turning down, the mans wagging cock entered the frame. Yosha shook her head, moving the mouse to click further in the video, disgusted with the type of man Jerec was turning out to be.

The video skipped ahead, the image of Jerec naked and on his back, clenching the money in his hands as the camera man had his way with him. Ensuring he focused the view on a hole being used with little care for Jerecs own wellbeing.

Yosha clicked out of the video, going back to the original list of websites that had Jerecs image on them. Clicking another one and seeing the video begin.

"Jaydee, what are you doing today?" a different camera man asked.

"I'm going to get these horny cocks off." A young Jerec said.

Yosha could see his hair was longer in this video, the bags under his eyes coming into view as he looked more tired. Sitting on his knees with walls on either side of him, vulgar writing describing cocks and how badly the person in the center wanted to suck them. Arrows pointing to holes that were cut out in them, hard pricks coming through and pointing at the man in the center.

"Yeah, you love sucking dick, such a cum guzzling whore."

The younger Jerec on screen forced a smile, "Yeah," putting two thumbs up, "That's me."

Yosha clicked out of the video, not wanting to see the disgusting view of the man, she clicked on one more. Thinking that maybe she should have closed out the search window and not wasted her time with this anymore.

The website loaded, reading it left her feeling disgusted with herself, 'Bussybreakers' in big letters across the top. The video didn't play right away, instead loading an image that made her push herself back with repulsion.

Jerec on his back, legs spread as he laid on a dingy mattress, tubing wrapped around his bicep as his eyes rolled and mouth hung open. His body stripped, something white splattered across his groin and face, limp pricks on the edge of the screen still glistening as they admired their work. She almost missed the vomit across his cheek and splattered on the mattress.

'WARNING: This video has been removed due to depictions of sexual assault.'

Yosha exited the window, closing the internet completely before slamming her laptop shut. Gritting her teeth as she looked away, her eyes wide and scowling as she looked at the deck of her own shuttle.

'Fucking, Tuegrin.' She thought, 'don't waste your talent, not here.'

......

"Who would love trash like you?"

"But, but I let you sleep with me, I- I thought-"

"Just cause I ate the food, doesn't mean I'm buying the restaurant. Plus you're better off in the ground rather than on the street."

Jerec watched with wide eyes as the man on screen drove his knife forward, the screaming victim cursing him as she clawed at his face.

Craysar flinched, shocked that the loving man from before would turn out to be the killer, "How could he!"

"I mean, I kinda saw it coming." Tuegrin said.

Craysar looked at her, "What, how?"

Tuegrin shrugged, pulling out another frozen chocolate banana from the box, "Well like, right after they got done fucking, he didn't want to cuddle. Like he was more interested in just getting up and leaving, he even talks about how he didn't like feeling that attraction towards her."

"Shhhhh!" Jerec hissed to both of them, then seeing the box of frozen treats he whispered, "hey wait, give me one."

"SHHHH!" Tuegrin chided back as she threw one of the frozen treats at him.

Craysar giggled as he watched the thing smack Jerecs nose and the man yelp before smiling back at her.

"Oh you suck!" he whisper yelled at her, "It's probably broken now." Jerec opened up the wrapper, frowning as the chocolate coating had a large crack in it. "Aww." He tried to bite the tip, finding the thing broke in half and was beginning to let go.

Without a second thought Jerec shoved the chocolate banana into his mouth, most of its length disappearing as he rescued it. Tipping his head as he finished breaking it off, then mushing it with teeth and tongue as he continued to watch the movie.