Star Child

Fourteen - An Omen or Two

The first place we visited after leaving Shinkodai was a massive ice giant called Nisiir, located in galaxy NGC 42069. Most Celestials just call it Nice for some reason. Before we arrived, Ara gave us some pointers on what to expect. "This place is pretty chill. Lol," she joked as our ship pierced through the blackness of space. "All kidding aside, there aren't any interstellar laws on this planet, so we'll have to watch our backs while we're there. Not that it's an issue; a lot of places in the Cosmos don't have any laws, but considering the population it's kinda odd."

"That doesn't make too much sense to me," Kreg noted. "Why so many people on an ice giant? Seems like a real crap place to live."

"I dunno," she responded, perplexed herself. "Some Celestials thrive in super cold places I guess. I don't actually know too much about the place. I've only heard about it. I thought we could go to a place none of us have been to before."

Sounded good to me. I was up to anything, honestly, as long as Ara was there. I was beyond ecstatic when she changed her mind about leaving the other day; I couldn't imagine what I would've done without her. Sure, it sounded cheesy. I sounded desperate. And maybe I was. But I didn't care; I had gotten exactly what I wanted my entire life, to see my shining star again. Now that I could appreciate her, that is. I don't count the part at college where she tried forcing my wish into completion. It felt like an obligation back then, like I was playing a role. Now, however, things were different. She was here because she wanted to be here; she was here because of us. Because I reminded her why she became a Ronin in the first place. And there was always a possibility that, because she was traveling with us, I might have a real chance at her. It was only a fantasy, only a tiny sapling of an idea; now, though, I had a shot. I had a chance to make her mine.

"Hold on there cowboy," Ara said to me as I was about to open the ship's door. "Although you may be able to breathe in space just fine, you're still mostly human. You'll freeze solid before you can shout 'ice, ice, baby'. Here, I bought this back on Shinkodai while you and the guys were at the bar." She then presented me with a gray suit and full-face visor. It looked like a cross between thermals and chain mail. It sparkled softly as it caught the light of the green lights of the cargo bay, and as I took it from Ara I noticed how unusually slippery it was. The whole suit slid right out of my grasp and onto the floor. Ara gave a coy laugh. "It's not pressurized, but it should do good against the cold."

"What is it?" I wondered.

"A dive suit. Kinda. The Mizukana have gills, so they only use it to protect against the cold when they go deep-sea fishing. As you can see, I've modified it so none of your skin will be exposed, using the strongest material in the universe."

"Is that - duct tape?"

The four of us exited the ship shortly after Dyrnitix and I put our suits on. It really was cold, even with the suit on. The wind screeched like a banshee in my ear, deafening everything we said and making every thought impossible. I made the mistake of breathing - it was such a natural thing to do - and my nostrils and lungs screamed in pain. It was like millions of tiny needles stabbed into every square inch of my chest. I collapsed, and the others cried out to me. They probably thought I died right then, because as Ara picked me up and stared into my wide eyes, I didn't move until the cold in my chest leisurely made its way throughout the rest of my body. Ara shook me, and I suddenly shivered violently.

"Leo?! Are you alright?" she asked. She herself was clothed in nothing more than her usual dull brown dress. She didn't even have slippers on, and there I was dying of asphyxiation from the tiny amount of cold that slipped into my suit. She really was something else. At least Kreg put on a scarf to make us feel better.