Voyages Among Sand and Stars

The Beginning: Ceres

 Ceres tugged at her shirt collar. Her clothes stuck to her sweat covered body. She moved her toes around her boots, the wrong choice of footwear in the humid climate. For the hundredth time since she entered the Fourth Quadrant, Ceres checked the windows to make sure they were pulled down all the way. Not that the breeze offered any relief from the humid air of the cabin.

This wasn't the heat she was used to. Somehow, the wet air made her tired. It also made it impossible to get comfortable enough to sleep. Not that Ovid, her traveling companion, minded. He had his head propped against the wall of the hover train, snoring every other minute. Just the kind of thing to make Ceres laugh if she was less preoccupied in her own miseries. The train cabin was otherwise empty, tourism didn't extend often to Horus.

Ovid shifted in his seat, picking up his head from its uncomfortable perch. He blinked lazily as he took in the changed surroundings from when he had last been awake. "Looks like we're close."

"Yeah," said Ceres, "It's fucking humid." Ceres pulled the front of her shirt away from her heated skin. A long empty canteen of water was situated in-between Ovid and Ceres and it stared up at her, daring her to check one more time if water magically appeared.

"By the time we catch this bounty, you won't want to leave." Ovid rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rolled his shoulders back. They had been on the train for the better part of ten hours, Ceres was surprised he wasn't grumpier.

Ceres frowned.

Ovid poked her in the side, and Ceres batted his hand away. "You know I'm just joking with you. Lighten up."

"I'll lighten up when we get this bounty. Or the weather cools down." Ceres settled back into her seat, trying to close her eyes and ignore the stifling heat.

The train slowed its trek over the verdant grass fields that covered the Fourth Quadrant of Iota 9. The train station was was the only structure in Ceres' vision. Brown planks weathered against the harsh rains that would be starting in the coming weeks. Ceres wasn't eager to stay long enough to get caught in the onslaught of water that would ensue.

They grabbed their bags and Ceres slung the small pack of belongings over her shoulder. She double checked to make sure her blaster was secured to her hip and the extra clip was on her belt. Her grey overcoat laid on her forearm, pooling sweat in the crook of her elbow. With her free hand, she unbuttoned the top button of her shirt to find more airflow.

"Ready?" Ovid turned back before he stepped down the two steps of the hover train's small door. He had to duck to avoid hitting the ceiling, while Ceres was just barely short enough to remain standing. She squinted under the high noon sun, her eyes struggled to adjust. The two bounty hunters opted not to go into the station and, instead, head directly for Horus Proper. Not that it was much of a town, from was Ovid had said, but it at least had lodgings for them.

Through the soles of her boots Ceres felt the softness of the ground. Different from paved streets she walked over in Itonia. She knelt down and ran her fingers through the grass. The soft blue-green invited her, and almost made up for the humidity plaguing her. Almost.

Ovid had paid no mind to her luxuriating in the grass and continued in his steady trek through the landscape. She sighed and stood back up, breaking into a job to catch up to him. The salt of the ocean air hit Ceres. Maybe Horus wasn't so dreadful.

"I'll admit, Horus is growing on me," Ceres said, once she caught up to Ovid.

Ovid smiled. "It tends to do that. Hurry up, there's only one hotel in the whole town." They picked up their pace and crested over a tall hill. Below them lay the town of Horus. Small structures a quarter of a mile away from the ocean line with a white sand beach. A mile out from the shore line tall curved cliffs protected the village from harsh waves rolling in from the depths. The water in their small alcove was beautiful and calm, with corals making themselves known with vibrant colors Ceres didn't often see.

A whistle of appreciation escaped Ceres. "I've never seen Iota 9 so colorful."

"Probably the calmest place in the solar system, too," Ovid replied. The trek down the hill was filled with more stops and the giddy exploration of Ceres and Ovid.

"I can't believe you uncle would ever want to come to a place like this." The taciturn old man that had mentored her and Ovid's debut into bounty hunting had never seemed like the man that would take joy in the simple beauty that surrounded them.

"Eh," said Ovid, "You knew Gordi. He wanted Gorstain Starfish and they don't export it."

Ceres quirked an eyebrow at him. "Was it any good?"

"Tasted like shit." Ovid chuckled without humor. "With the fuss he put up about it, I'm surprised the locals didn't kill him."

"Will we have to eat it?" Ceres pulled a flower from the grasses. Its soft delicate petals invited Ceres in and she carefully placed the flower next to her blaster. Bright yellow against a midnight grey.

Ovid shook his head. They breached the outskirts of the town. Soft trodden dirt made up the pathways. The largest buildings were warehouses where they prepared and packaged their aquatic exports. The second largest was the inn, where loading crews stayed. Horus had a special contract where all of their exports went directly to the Rings.

They stepped into the hotel. Boughs of grass and flowers brightened up the inside. Ovid had been confident the town would be deserted, apart from the residents. He was wrong. The tables were filled with people, most of them wearing the grey jumpsuit of transportation workers. Ovid walked up to the innkeeper, speaking in his halting imitation of the monosyllabic language of Horashi.

"You can speak Galactic Standard," the man said. He was dressed in traditional Horashi garb, deep blue loose clothing and covered from head to toe for sun protection.

"That bad, huh?" Ovid asked. He handed over the right amount of credits for the last available room they had.

The man behind the desk shrugged. "Hard language to learn."

"It's been awhile since I've made it out this way," said Ovid, "Thanks for the room."

"What are you out here for anyways?"

Ceres and Ovid shared a hesitant glance at one another.

"We're looking for someone," Ceres chanced to say. She accepted the key from the innkeeper, who narrowed his eyes at her vague answer.

"Bounty hunters." It wasn't a question.

They remained silent.

"Wrong time to come here, lots of strangers around."

Ceres nodded at him. They would make do. Standard speech was written under the Horashi, helping them find their room with little issue. Standard in size and in amenities to the rooms they usually stayed in. A large radio stood in the corner of the room, on the opposite wall of the two slim beds.

Ovid sat down the bed closer to the door, exhaling as he sunk into it. "You wanted a smaller job, I think you got it."

She ungracefully flopped down onto the other bed, staring up at the ceiling. "It's practically a vacation."

"We could've just taken a vacation."

"We'd both go crazy on a normal vacation," Ceres said.

Ovid slipped off his bag to the floor and kicked off his boots. "I don't think that's healthy."