The Alien Negotiator

"I see."

"I... yeah." Groaning, he looked up at her, and touched her hand. She didn't move it. "I'm gonna miss you."

She looked ready to say something. Her throat tensed a little, muscles preparing to speak through the hidden mouth behind her bone mask, but she stopped, and let her tail slip away, falling flat to the floor. "I'll miss you too."

He winced. Yeah, this hurt. How long had it been since he felt this way about a girl? Forever. For-fucking-ever. But four weeks was not long enough to develop these feelings. He just needed to get a grip, get his head out of his ass, and start thinking clearly. And he was way too stubborn about starting this new life to let a little thing like an overwhelming urge to be with her stop that.

"... good luck, Vala." Sighing, his hand fell away from hers, and he walked toward the door.

"I wish you good luck, Mark. Goodbye."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He stared up at the sky. The fucking sky. He was high enough to actually see the sky, and not have to squint to peer past the canopy of buildings. Shitty, cloudy sky, but a sky nonetheless.

He should have been happy, and he wasn't.

Stare at the ship some more, that'll perk your mood up. And it was a good ship, with a captain's room, ten spare rooms, and a cargo hold big enough to store some heavy shit, or large shit. He smiled at it as he paced around the docking pad, its gray metal surface making a resounding clack with each step of his black boots. It was a beat up old ship, but a good ship, with a fat body and a small nose for a cockpit, with two seats.

If you knew where to go, knew what to say in different systems, knew where to cut corners and knew how to dodge red tape, there was a decent living to make as a delivery pilot. And he'd be among the stars again, drifting around from place to place, with no one to answer to but himself; and whoever was paying his fee. No one he had to worry about. No one at all.

"... fuck!" He kicked his new baby's landing strut, and groaned as it kicked back, metal unmoving but hitting his foot with enough force to nearly send him to his knees. Ow. "Come on, she... she's a fucking praca man. She's fucking rich, has a family name to worry about, a giant business to worry about, and... and you have fuck all." Fuck all. Absolutely fuck all. Nothing to offer her. Nothing.

If that wasn't a slap in the face about how he thought of himself, he didn't know what was. Nothing. He was nothing. Just a moron who'd been trapped in debt from past mistakes, sold his body as a bodyguard, and managed to get out alive when everyone else in his situation died. Second chance for a worthless nobody like him. He couldn't waste it. Do not waste it.

He reached up over the landing strut, dialed in the passcode, and stepped back as the loading ramp opened up. Clearance to leave: check. Fueled up: check. All debts paid: check. So get on the ship, jump to the Rendosh system, leave this shithole behind, and start your new life.

He got halfway up the ramp, before he turned around, and sat down. He was dressed in some of his morasteel armor, half convinced someone was either going to show up, and try and steal his ship, or just shoot him because he didn't deserve what was happening. A good thing was happening to him. Hard to believe, but it was.

Didn't feel good.

"Mark."

He jumped up. "Shit! Shit, Vala, fucking scared me. Thought maybe some fucking loan shark was after me for a second."

She tweeted a laugh, and walked up to him, each step silent. Her glove-like shoes and her hand-like feet were perfect for sneaking up and scaring someone like him shitless. "I... I came to... to see you go."

He walked down the ramp to her, and smiled up at the gorgeous creature. But the glow of her eyes through the bone mask was barely there, mostly purple and blue, and subtle, muted. Sad.

"Thanks, I... yeah."

"It... it is a nice ship." From how she looked it over, and the way she tilted her head, he could see she didn't believe it.

"Heh, it is. You just need to know what to look for in a ship like this." He sat down on the ramp, and motioned for her to do the same. She did, which surprised him, considering she was still wearing the suit she wore in the company building. Suit was probably worth ten times the armor he was wearing.

"I... I... wish you... luck, Mark."

She'd already wished him good luck. Double wishing was strange.

"... you know I won't forget those four weeks, Vala."

"Even the first one?"

"Especially the first one. I was ready to choke you to death. No forgetting that."

They laughed, for a lot longer than the joke warranted, before going silent again. Neither of them moved.

Except her. She slid in a little closer, and leaned her head down to the side, so she could put the side of her head on top of his. Back to silence. Back to stillness. Back to absolutely nothing but the dread in his stomach, telling him he was leaving behind the best thing that had ever happened to him. The ship was nice. The girl beside him was better. So much better.

He gulped, and turned his head a bit, so he could look her way. "Do... I mean, I... I don't know, do you... want... to come with me?" He said it. Yeap, he said it. This was going to make a painful goodbye a hundred times worse when she said no.

"With you?"

"Yeah, with me. With little, worthless me." Groaning, he got up, stepped off the ramp, and started pacing around. "I got no money, and I'm guessing you can't take your fortunes with you if you came with me."

"I could not. They are bound to Taralavra Industries."

"Exactly. So, yeah, it's a stupid question. You got a life here, a royal one, and—"

She stood up, and walked down the ramp to meet him. Her eyes were glowing bright red and pink through the beautiful bone hiding her features, and she tweeted a few, gentle, fluttery noises, before her tail reached out, and wrapped around his forearm. He froze. Tweeting another chuckle, she lowered her mask, and pressed it to his forehead; closest thing she could do to a kiss, he supposed.

"I would love to."

"... what? Are you fucking serious? You're rich! Don't be stupid. I know praca can't just leave the corporations they work in, and—"

"Shhh. I'm no fool. I have money hidden in many accounts Taralavra Industries knows nothing about. More than enough to help this new business of yours succeed. Our business." Shrugging at him, with her tail still wrapped around his arm, she started dragging him up the ramp. "Come on, show me my room. Our room."

Well. Hot damn. Praca for a girlfriend? Amazing. Praca for a business partner? Even better.