Voidwalker Requiem

Chapter One: A Poisoned Bargain

The buzz of the market hummed through the ship's hull, a symphony of voices, clanging metal, and the occasional blare of an announcement. Hana reclined in the bridge, feet propped on the console, a half-empty glass of amber liquid in hand. Business was good. Smuggling wasn't glamorous, but it paid well enough to keep him flying and far from the prying eyes of the Empire.

His crew moved below, unloading the latest haul. The constant stream of illicit goods kept the ship fueled and his pockets lined. Hana had seen his share of shady characters, but he had his rules. One ironclad: no felons. They brought too much heat, too much risk.

The door to the bridge blew open with a force that rattled his teeth. Before he could react, a figure stumbled in, clutching her side. Blood seeped through her fingers, staining her tattered clothes. She was beautiful, even in her state, with eyes that flickered with a dangerous mix of desperation and determination. Hana questioned what an Inarian was doing on Alteris, but he had no time to think.

She raised a pistol, her hand trembling. "Take off," she ordered, her voice weak but edged with steel.

Hana didn't move. "You're bleeding out. You need a doctor, not a ship."

She fired. A dart embedded itself in his arm. He felt nothing, but she smirked, a cruel twist of her lips. "Alaya venom," she said. "Slow, but certain. The antidote is on my home planet. You fly, or you die."

His mind raced. Negotiation was futile. She pulled another pistol, a real one this time, her hand steady despite her injuries. "I won't miss next time."

He hesitated, but the madness in her eyes told him she wasn't bluffing. She was ready to die, but she'd take him with her. He punched in the coordinates, feeling the engines hum to life. The ship lifted off, leaving the market—and his crew—behind.

As the stars blurred into streaks of light, Hana glanced at the woman slumped in the co-pilot seat, her breathing shallow. She was a felon, no doubt about it, but something about her desperate gamble struck a chord. Perhaps it was the venom coursing through his veins, but he felt a strange connection to her plight.

The police would be after him soon enough. A smuggler harbouring a fugitive was a prize too tempting for them to ignore. But as he navigated through the dark expanse of space, a creeping realisation settled in. This was no ordinary run. The stakes were higher, the risks greater, and the line between right and wrong blurrier than ever.

Hana was no hero. He never claimed to be. But as the venom pulsed in his blood, he couldn't shake the feeling that this journey would change everything. For better or worse, he was bound to this dying, beautiful stranger, and the path to redemption, if it existed, was lined with shadows. 

For now, survival was the only goal.

"Who the fuck are you?" Hana asked in a monotone voice. The woman stayed silent. Uttered nothing a sniffle as she tries to spark up a cigarette.

"You gonna answer the question or what?" He says snarkily. "I go by Eve. That's all you need to know sweetheart. Nothing more." She fidgets with her lighter, which seems to have run out of fluid. "You got a lighter?"

Hana tosses her a silver plated lighter. It's carved in the shape of a bullet. "Good boy." She says.

"What happened to you?" Hana asks. She inhales deeply after taking a puff of her cigarette before replying. "I owe some mobsters money. And you're gonna help me pay them back babe." Hana scoffs. "Why the hell would I do that? You're in no state to make demands. Look at your wounds." He's interrupted as he notices Eve's deep cuts and gauges close up and heal within seconds. "Mhm-hm." She snickers maniacally. "Baby you don't realise who's in control here now do you? You want that antidote right?" She says. "I mean, I don't have shit to lose, and I don't even think this venom even does anything so no. I might as well fly the ship into an asteroid and kill us both. Now neither of us owe money." He says nihilistically.