Galaxy (GIVEN UP)

Chapter 21

"Vee?" Virgil hugged his elbows tighter and didn't look around. "Vee, come on. I'm sorry!"

Virgil still wouldn't reply. "Vee, where are you? I really am sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Sure, ya didn't mean to lie to me." Virgil thought bitterly. He shuffled his knees closer to his chest and looked down at the floor. There was a rustle from the tree above him and Janus dropped down beside him.

"There you are." Janus said. Virgil turned away from him. "Hey, Vee, I'm sorry. Didn't know you'd get so upset over it."

Virgil hunched his shoulders. "Vee?" Janus asked, quieter. "Can you talk to me? Just one thing and I'll leave you alone, promise."

Virgil still didn't say anything. He heard Janus sigh and lean against the tree. "Vee, please? I am sorry. Really and truly-"

"No." Virgil muttered. "No ya're not."

"Hey, I am." Janus protested. "Didn't mean to hurt you."

"Still lied, though." Virgil muttered. "Still lied to me about what ya were doin' with the molecule reversal. Ya said ya weren't gonna do anythin' with it anymore and yet," he shrugged, "ya lied."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, really?" Virgil asked. "Ya didn't mean to blatantly mistruth and mislead me?" He scoffed. "I thought we agreed not to lie to each other? Not after last time."

"Yeah, I know, I know." Janus said. He sounded exhausted. "And I don't know why I lied. I didn't wanna. Didn't do it on purpose. Just... something told me to and I listened to it."

Virgil shook his head. Another lie. He didn't want to talk to Janus if all he was going to do was lie.

"Vee?" Janus tried quietly. "Vee, I'm sorry." Virgil didn't say anything and shook his head instead. Janus sighed and Virgil heard him get up. "They, um, they'll probably want me back at the temple. I'll see you."

Virgil didn't say anything and he didn't hear Janus leave. It's like Janus was hesitating, waiting for something.

"I love you, Vee."

That's when Virgil heard Janus' footsteps retreat.

Virgil sighed and threw down his spanner. Turns out, the plants from that Genar-forsaken planet were faster than he and Roman had originally thought. To cut a long story short, he'd spent about half a sun wrenching and cutting and weeding the vines out of various different rooms in the ship.

"Why on Earth would you use a spanner to weed plants?" Roman had asked. Virgil had really been too scared to think straight. Looking back on it now, Princey had made a solid point. Not that Virgil would ever let Roman know what he thought.

Virgil ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. "This is takin' too long." He thought. "If we don't find another planet soon, The Osiris is just gonna break down in the middle of space."

"Hey, Princey!" He called, grabbing a shelf and pulling himself up. "Any sign of anywhere we can stay?"

No reply. Virgil swallowed and grabbed the doorframe, swinging himself out onto the corridor.

"Princey?" He tried again. He paused. "Roman? Ya okay?"

"If he's not in the pilot room, I swear..." Virgil was about to set off down the corridor when there was a jolt from beside the ship. Virgil was knocked over backwards.

"Princey, what's goin' on down there?" He roared.

"Enemy fire! Enemy fire!" Now he had an answer.

"Enemy fire?" Virgil repeated. "We ain't got no enemies."

"The Goddamn Empire, Virge!" Roman yelled, panicked. "The Goddamn Empire are on our tail!"

Virgil felt his blood freeze. He jumped to his feet. The Empire. The Genardamned Empire! What were they doing, following a simple cargo ship.

"I don't recognise the make of the ship," Roman was continuing. "It looks kind of like an X-Wing but it doesn't seem-"

Did he break his promise again?

"Princey, we need to land!" Virgil snapped.

"What?"

"We need to land." Virgil started running through The Osiris corridors, trying to find the pilot room. "Right now."

"Why? And where? There's no oxygen-based planets anywhere-"

"Doesn't matter where." Virgil said, grabbing the doorframe of the pilot room. "We just need to land before they catch up with us."

"Bit late for that." Roman motioned to the window. Outside was, as Roman had said, an X-Wing looking ship. Very close to The Osiris. Too close for Virgil's liking.

"What's that planet there?" Virgil asked, pointing to the hologram of the near galaxy around them.

"Mustafar." Roman said. "It's not oxygen-based."

"Pretty sacred for Sith..." Virgil muttered. He patted Roman on the shoulder. "Never mind that it's not oxygen-based, it'll do."

Fuck me, the story's finally picking up.
Bye,
Blaize