Among the Stars

Sounds like music. Feels like home.

Agony stopped her ship waiting for someone to call. It was sad but, she had grown accustomed to the silence.

"Hello? Hey, guys is this thing working or is this ship dead in the water?" Agony was surprised to hear a voice. It was like music, a song that she once knew so well yet forgot over time.

"Hello? This is Agony, my ship is giving out and I need a place to land. I mean no hostility to you or your people. I am nothing more than a traveler that wishes to fix their ship and leave." Agony responded causing the man on the other side to let out a chuckle.

"Hi Agony, I'm sorry but we can't-" suddenly the line dropped and the lights in Agony's ship flashed

"Damn, I didn't realize it was that bad." Agony sighed

"H.. hey... hear me? Agony? Are you still there?"

"Yes, my apologies. My ship acted up. I think I'm about to be dead in the water soon." Agony laughed, though her face had a frown. Once again, there was silence. "Hello? Crap did I lose him." Agony said with a bit of frustration, just as she was about to mess with the controls the man spoke.

"No, no I'm still here. Agony where are you from?"

"From somewhere far away."

"Cryptic. I like it, but can you be just a tad bit more specific?"

"I hail from a place called the Reef." Agony replied in earnest.

"The Reef..." the man echoed, curiosity evident in his voice, "let me go talk to someone and I'll be right back. Don't let your ship die."

"Not much I can do in the void." Agony sighed as she heard a click. Agony grabbed her helmet and stared at it. It felt like it was judging her, giving her a look of disappointment for leaving the Tower and lying. It wasn't a complete lie, but she didn't really hail from the Reef. It was the place of her birth, but before she left she worked for the Vanguard, she was a guardian, she came... no, she ran from the Tower on Earth. 

"Agony are you still there?" The man asked sounding a bit out of breath

"Not like I can go anywhere." Agony joked as she put her helmet on.

"You're clear for landing. I'm sending you the coordinates right now. Try not to descend too fast."

"Will people be waiting for me to land?" Agony asked

"No. Just don't want you to break anything valuable. If you do you're paying for the repairs" The man replied

"Copy. Be down soon." Agony said before closing her communication channel.

"He's lying," Tenebris said

"I know people will be down there waiting, but I'm the one who decides if I get out or not." Agony reminded her ghost

"We should keep going Agony." Tenebris pleaded

"We can't. The ship is acting up, we either land or get stranded in space." Agony reminded Tenebris as she descended to the coordinates she was given. Tenebris fell silent after that grim reminder. Agony was surprised to see how lush the planet was. In the distance, she could see a few buildings but couldn't really make out what they were. Whoever was talking to her, or whoever he talked to, was making her land a little ways from the buildings. Agony wasn't surprised to see people with guns as she landed. They all wore gear to protect their bodies and helmets hiding their faces. Their body language was closed off. They were ready for a fight. They thought her hostile and would treat her like an enemy. In all honesty, Agony expected no less. It reminded her of the Reef. Agony took a deep breath before getting out of her ship. The soldiers took aim at her, and she slowly put her hands up and did a spin.

"I don't have any weapons." Agony said, which was a lie. Tenebris had all her weapons, but they didn't need to know that.

"Calm down guys, she said she wasn't hostile and The Reef isn't on any of our lists." The man says as he looks up and smiles at me.

"Agony right?" He asks. Agony looked him over. 

He's muscular enough to be a soldier, he has a nice tan on him, and he's pretty fucking handsome, or maybe that's because I haven't seen an actual human being in... wait... he's human. Right? He looks just like one... Agony thought to herself, she never thought she'd see a human out here, but then again humans are very stubborn beings. Also, Agony didn't really know human history, so for all she knew humans didn't originate on Earth.

"Yes that's ME" Agony said, jumping slightly when the "me" came out louder than expected

"Wow, someone is excited." The man laughed

"No, it's just my HELmet acting UP" Agony said, cringing at the randomly shifting volume of her voice. "Tenebris a LITTLE HELP" Agony pleaded as quietly as her helmet would let her. Tenebris floated out of the ship.

"There's no need to yell Agony." Tenebris teased, all the soldiers quickly took aim at Tenebris.

"He's with me!" Agony shouted reaching for her side-arm only to remember Tenebris is currently holding all her weapons.

"What is it? An artificial intelligence.?" The man asked stepping closer to Agony and Tenebris.

"No, I'm my own being just like you humans. You are humans right?" Tenebris asked suspiciously.

"Yup, very advanced humans. So you are a type of artificial intelligence?"

"Alright Agony, I think I fixed it." Tenebris hummed ignoring the man's question

"He's a little light." Agony teased looking at her ghost.

"I told you never to call me that!" Tenebris fumed before flying back into the ship.

"Well I called Reaver he's going to take your ship back to base. If you would just follow us please." The man said with a playful bow. Agony chuckled and returned his bow.

"Tenebris, let's go." Agony called. Tenebris flew over to her side but he still wasn't happy.

Agony was not enjoying the walk. Soldiers in front, to her left, to her right, and behind her. Tenebris stayed close to his guardian, staying on the cautious side with the soldiers so close. Agony nor Tenebris didn't like feeling trapped like this.

"So what is this place?" Agony asked trying to ignore the soldiers pressing up against her.

"This is base Saclar. A base to-"

"Don't tell her anything. We don't really know why she's here" A soldier in front of Agony grunted while turning to look at her. The tan man leading the way let out a sigh.

"Well if you can't tell me that, can you at least tell me your name? Or should I just call you sexy." Agony said she was glad she was wearing her helmet so no one could see the smirk on her face.

"I honestly wouldn't mind that, but if you really need to know, the name is Casey. Look sharp Agony. I am proud to officially welcome you to base Saclar."

Once inside the soldiers moved away from Agony to block any potential nearby exits. Agony felt a sharp pain in her chest, not a physical one, but an emotional one. Soldiers looked over to see what was going on, city walls surrounded the area. It reminded her of the Tower and the City, the places she worked for, the places she swore to protect. Agony shook her head in frustration.

"Are you okay Agony?" Casey asked concerned

"Yeah... this just reminds me of home... brings up some painful memories." Agony said as she began to wander.

"Agony I presume?" Agony looked for the origin of the voice, "come with me. I have a few questions."