Soul Eyes

CHAPTER ONE: 12 YEARS LATER

 "I'm not covering another run Elran," Jaysa stood hands on her hips as her boss approached. "Ask someone else."

"There is no one else," Elran gruffed, passing the tablet to her. Jaysa took it despite herself, thumbing through the job details, and huffed, more than annoyed.

"Transporting for ruling families is beneath me," she smirked at him, handing the tablet back.

"They're paying triple for this to be done, you get one whole payment, right now," Elran ran his hands through his salt and pepper hair, his face wrinkled with agitation.

"And who or what is being transported?" Jaysa raised an eyebrow. "I noticed the inventory column is blank."

"It's who. His name is Lestil Ophranel, a prisoner here in Beshal." he answered.

"And Beshal can't transport their own inmates?" Jaysa quipped. She was going from slightly annoyed now to full pissed off.

"Well, considering his last name was once a ruling family, it needs to be handled delicately," Elran began but Jaysa stopped him with a raised hand.

"Nope. Not interested. He can walk his princely shoes back home," Jaysa retorted and walked away from Elran but he followed, both of them being batted by a sudden wind gust, blowing dust in their eyes. Both pulled their scarves over their mouths as they climbed the ramp onto Jaysa's ship, Loop'D'Loop. Jaysa pressed the buzzer and the ramp clamped off the noise from the wind.

"Why?" she asked, not hiding her annoyance.

"Jaysa, Jaysa, look at me," Elran whined and Jaysa hated that she felt sympathy for the man but did as he asked while they took the lift to the bridge. He had given her a job when no one else would, not after how she had lost a month's supply of oil for Dominion. Jaysa argued with the overly powerful company, AOV, short for Acclaimed Oil Vendor, but her pockets ran dry paying lawyers to defend her. Each one dropped her the second they got a visit from AOV. Everyone knew it was not Jaysa's fault that raiders had ambushed her with something so vital without a security escort. But no one wanted to fight AOV head on. Elran had taken pity on her, but he also knew her reputation as a good pilot. So he moved her to the attic of the warehouse until a year ago when Jaysa and her best friend, Marlie, got a small apartment together.

"You know as well as I do, we could use the money. Who gives a damn why you have to move him? Just get him to Genobla Nebula in one piece and be done with it. You're my fastest pilot," Elran stared at her with puppy eyes.

"Look," he said, "its not like I could say no to Dominion soldiers. What was I supposed to do?"

Jaysa leaned forward so their noses were almost touching, despite her short stature, Elran was not much taller than her, "Move him yourself."

Elran audibly exclaimed at that and Jaysa merely walked away again to her quarters. She popped the buzzer but he slammed his arm in her path, "They're already here with him."

Jaysa bit her tongue to stop her retort. She had landed not an hour ago and now he was wanting to send her out again. With a stranger. And no security escort per usual. Elran's Trading Post did not usually deal in high dollar transports, staying under the radar of AOV and the other major competitors.

"Why didn't AOV take this?" Jaysa raised an eyebrow at him.

"AOV won't touch the Ophranel family, not after they fell," Elran explained. "Since AOV won't, neither will the others. We're the bottom of the barrel and need money and Beshal knows it. They go to Hackers next if we decline."

Jaysa sighed audibly. Hacker had set up shop in the next plot just to piss off Elran. The two had been quarreling for years and neither would tell Jaysa the reason.