─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SEASON 3 EPISODE 15

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Location:

System: Carinae

Faction: None

Planet: Carinae III-a

Place: CM Station RC-1

☆☆☆

Jimin

Jimin didn't like being dehydrated.

Another water. Chug, chug, chug. That was his fifth of the hour, and twentieth of the day, yet every time he used the bathroom, he missed and had to scrub the floors. By the tenth bathroom visit, he had given up, and he hated it. He hated how his teeth felt weak. How his nose felt like it had detached from his body. He wondered if that was how Jungkook felt: detached. From the crew, himself, or his body, Jimin didn't know, and sitting there, across the bunny boy in his ship's cafeteria, was far from the moment to bring up something like that.

Yet he did anyway.

"How does it feel?"

Jungkook slowed his motions. His new, shining golden arm Yoongi had gifted him froze with him. Prosthetics took training to adjust to, so the metal arm slumped back down, and Jungkook cursed and nudged it. It didn't budge. So, the bunny sighed and opted to use his flesh to clonk! the metal on the side of the square table that could fit four crew members at once, with eight tables scattered across the wide, white room. No one else had joined them, though. Lunch had always been just them two.

Usually in silence.

"Not great," Jungkook said. "It hurts. Lots of pressure on the stump."

"I'm sure."

Jimin went to grab yet another water bottle from the fridge and plopped back down in front of Jungkook, observing how he ate a basic chicken meal pack. Standard for most ships. Jimin hadn't been Captain Park lately, which meant Sarah had stepped up and ordered all the food while VASCO handled the air conditioning and Barrett the overall leech inspections Taehyung performed every day.

"I'm sorry," Jimin said. It was the best thing he could think of. "You know I didn't mean to, right?"

"I know. It's my fault, Capt. You warned me, I didn't listen."

"That doesn't make it okay." Jimin had paid for the replacement. It was the first captain-esque duty he had done in months. It was the least he could do. "I'm really sorry, Jungkook. For everything."

"No, don't apologize. I should've let you go."

Jimin averted his eyes. The only sound was Jungkook setting his metal fork down and the seat squeaking as the man leaned forward. Jimin could see it out of his peripherals, but he didn't bring his gaze back.

"Do you... want to talk about it?"

Jimin didn't hesitate to bring out his scolding tone. "Jungkook."

"Captain," Jungkook said, his voice soft. The softest it had ever been. "I know this is a tough topic for you, maybe even harder to talk about than Y/n, but please tell me something. Anything. Doesn't have to be about that, just anything going on in your life, positive or negative-"

"I was sixteen."

Jungkook went quiet at that.

"I joined the Disciples. A gang. For credits, of course." Jimin tightened his grip on the bottle and heard the plastic crunching. "They sent me on a mission to some rich guy's mansion and told me to steal everything in his safe, only what they didn't say was how. I thought it was a standard hacking mission where I'd lockpick the door, sneak in, hack the safe, and get out. Nothing unusual, right? But when I made it to the safe, the man was there, waiting. No clothes."

"Jimin," Jungkook whispered, and Jimin lit up with a solar flare by accident. It melted the bottle and caused the boiling water to slather down the table. Jimin didn't care that his bare hand got burned from the excess bits.

"That was the first time it happened. They wouldn't let me stop. I became a body for them, nothing more, and I became a body to me, too." Jimin let his hand with countless burns slip under the table. The pain didn't bother him. It wasn't like burns were anything new. "It's the only thing I'm good at, I guess."

"I..." Jungkook coughed and sniffled. "I'm so sorry, Jimin."

Jimin brought his eyes back in time to see tears on Jungkook's cheeks. It was funny. Through all that muck, he still looked like a little bunny.

"Yeah." Jimin wished he could say it's okay, but he didn't want to lie. It was against the Universal's rules. "You know, I've been screwing that girl from the old Fleet days."

"Taehyung mentioned it."

"Yeah," Jimin repeated with a tongue click. "I think I'm gonna do that after this mission."

They were hovering over Carinae III-a to carry out Ryujin's quest. Jungkook, Andreja, Taehyung, Sam, and VASCO would come with to clear the area, with Barrett providing air support if needed. Jimin doubted the fight would go outdoors, but it didn't hurt to have it. Sarah would ensure Barrett didn't crash into a mountain. All hands on deck. Except Cora. She got to stay in her quarters with Marbles.

"Do you want to?" Jungkook asked, and Jimin tapped the table with his fist twice before getting up and smiling. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Nope. Haven't wanted to, even once." But I'll do it anyway.

"Why-"

"Finish your food," Jimin interrupted, keeping his smile. "We'll be landing soon. The sooner we finish this, the sooner I find my wife."

Jungkook didn't answer, and Jimin nodded and went to the entrance to the cafeteria, which was an archway leading to the main wide hallway of the ship they called their ship's bay. It was home, yet it wasn't at the same time. Not without Y/n. That had Jimin hesitating in the doorway, but he didn't look back at Jungkook as he spoke.

"I miss her, Kook." Jimin didn't know if he was referring to Y/n or Ma. "And maybe I miss Jimin, too."

Jimin walked off, not giving Jungkook a chance to reply. He set his course for the cockpit and found Taehyung of all people in the co-pilot's seat, viewing the stars that twinkled around their destination: Carinae III-a, in the Carinae system. It had no faction, which made it perfect for Ryujin's business. No major faction-wide laws were in place.

Most systems had no faction. That was because many systems were uninhabitable for human life, so humanity instead opted for stations. Some were UC-owned, others Freestar-owned, none Va'ruun-owned. Ecliptic liked to have headquarters out in the outer reaches of the systems, too, though Carinae was more a business system with countless mining companies taking stock there. Jimin wondered if his old mining company, Argos, was there. The moons were best for rare minerals, after all.

"It's a floating rock," Jimin said, motioning to how Carinae III-a was a giant sphere with no interesting features. Despite that, Taehyung had his brand new paper sketchpad with pens the colors of the rainbow sprawled out on the dashboard. Sam had gotten it for Tae when they had last stopped by Akila so Jimin could buy Cora more books. Her favorite bookstore was there, and it was one of the last in the galaxy with paper books. Sam had found the sketchpad there, and Cora had found the pens. Teamwork.

"It doesn't need to be interesting to be beautiful." Taehyung didn't take his eyes off it, his hands moving to sketch an outline with a plain black pen.

"Didn't know you cared about art. Thought that whole tattoo shit was for money." Jimin shrugged and slumped in the pilot's seat, kicking his feet up on the dash. Away from Tae's precious pens, of course.

"Of course I do." Taehyung clicked the pen a few times before going back to sketching. "And there's nothing better for an artist than seeing all the colors the galaxy has to offer."

Jimin glanced at the gray, dull moon. "Riiiight. Well, I'm about to set this bird down. You need more time to stare, or...?"

"No. I've been up here all day." Taehyung set the pen down and blew on the wet lines to dry them, and then he flipped through the pages to show he had drawn a dozen sketches by that point.

"I would be impressed if that wasn't so sad." Yeah, cause spending your day in a cockpit staring at a rock sounded appealing. Great job, Taehyung. "Let's go."

Jimin landed his ship, the Starbright, near the coordinates he had pulled up for CM Station RC-1. The station wasn't far, and it wasn't the "tower" Camden had said it was. It was a flat base with mining tunnels set up around the perimeter, caged in by electric fences. No problem. The fancy suit Y/n's parents had given Jimin was military-grade. It could withstand it. Plus, it had a boost pack.

A sandstorm clogged the windows, which made the landing rocky. Autopilot did most of it. It was by that point Jimin realized he had forgotten to warn the crew, aside from Taehyung and Jungkook, that they were in the landing process. Whoopsies. Jimin had a tendency to do that, hence why the entire crew preferred it when Barrett and Sam flew. Despite Cora's insistence on the opposite, Sam was a far better pilot than Jimin. Barrett and Sam were a step below Y/n, but no one could ever surpass her.

"What's the plan?" Taehyung asked, setting his sketchpad on the dash.

"Suit up. You're coming with."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. We need all the manpower we can get."

"I don't know how to shoot."

"Talk to Jungkook," Jimin said, standing and pulling Taehyung with him. He guided Tae to the back of the ship, where their gear was, and spotted Jungkook and Sam there. "Teach Taehyung to shoot."

Jungkook tilted his head, some of his curls falling to the side at that. "Now?"

"Just the basics. Whatever he needs for a routine Ecliptic mission."

Routine. What an interesting way to describe it. Jimin and his crew tended to battle Ecliptic around the systems for extra credits, so that became their primary work outside of Jimin's Ryujin quest. Most of it was an excuse to use Life Force to heal his burns. Taehyung's sketchpad was his canvas; Jimin's body was his.

"As you wish, Captain," Jungkook said with a shrug, taking Taehyung aside and showing him how their various weapons worked. Taehyung started with an AA-99. A classic. What Y/n had gotten Jimin, before he switched over to his current gear.

Speaking of...

Jimin suited up into the black gear Y/n's parents had gifted him. Next came his primary weapon: a magshear. It had its green grid activated. AKA: a laser sight shaped in a box with little dots making up the core of it. If a target stepped in front of it, the green would turn red to alert the handler that someone was in firing range. Jimin shut it off and swung it over his shoulder, putting on his helmet and feeling grateful it covered his face. No one would see his eyes when they turned red.

"Aim for their inner thighs and necks. Most suits have weaknesses there, but Ecliptic have more weaknesses than any. They kinda throw their suits together," Jungkook explained to Taehyung.

Jimin approached and chuckled. "Don't scare the poor kid."

"We're the same age," Taehyung said with an eye roll before putting the Constellation helmet on.

Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin were geared up and ready, and next came Andreja and VASCO. Andreja had her Va'ruun spacesuit on. The others likely didn't call it that, but Jimin did. As for VASCO, well, he kinda just showed up. Robots didn't need suits, after all.

"No atmosphere," VASCO informed, and Jimin hummed.

"So that means don't take your helmet off, even once we're inside the base. All they have to do is shoot out one window and it's over." Jimin tapped his heels together to activate his magnetic boots. "And mag boots on at all times. We don't want them blowing us out an airlock."

Jungkook showed Taehyung how to do it, and Taehyung took to it well, despite the shakes of his hands as he held the AA-99. Jimin leaned over and set it to single fire mode, patting Taehyung's shoulder.

"Don't want you causing a storm of bullets if you get scared," Jimin said, and Taehyung blew him off.

"I'm not a baby. I grew up on Neon."

"Yes, we're aware, but that doesn't mean you can't freeze up. Have you ever had a dozen Ecliptic shooting at you while you're running out of ammo?" Jimin stepped closer, and although Taehyung was taller, Jimin felt like he had a shadow on him. Taehyung didn't answer. "Thought not. It's okay, Tae. You don't need to be some experienced warrior or something, but you asked to help out more, so I'm letting you. That means you need to learn how to fight."

"It is the sad truth of life," Andreja said, her accent shining through despite her suit's filter. "Anyone who does not fight does not live."

Taehyung sighed. "I see why no one talks to you."

"Be nice," Sam said, opening the ramp to allow the sandstorm to throw dust inside. "Now let's go."

Jimin went with him and ended up leading the charge to the station. While the sandstorm covered their individual figures, the sound of the ship landing could shake the entire earth and force anyone inside the base to listen. By anyone, Jimin meant Ecliptic. Who else could it be? Spacers didn't care about a mining base. They were called Spacers for a reason: they stayed in space. Or uju, as Taehyung would call it. Pirates were nonexistent, and Jungkook was in Jimin's crew. If Jungkook, the pirate expert, didn't make a peep about potential pirate activity, that left one faction who could be responsible for the mining company's silence.

Ecliptic.

They were mercenaries, so it made sense. If Jimin were to guess, Infinity caught word of the mining contract via Ularu and sent mercenaries to deal with it. Who were the best mercenaries in the galaxy? Ecliptic. Bounty hunters wouldn't stoop so low, meaning Ecliptic were the best for a mission like that.

"Prepare for heavy resistance. I doubt Infinity wants their secrets getting out."

The crew nodded to Jimin's orders, and as soon as his mag boots connected with the metal ramp leading up to the base, his ship hummed and buzzed, taking off to provide air support. Jimin booted up his comm and tapped in with the cockpit.

"Barrett, go thermal and do a scan. Tell me what we're looking at." Jimin tapped into VASCO's head, too. "Vassie, scan for lifeforms in the area."

VASCO and Barrett ran scans while Jimin kept his closed fist held up so the crew wouldn't move. No one spoke. The sandstorm pounded against them, and they waited and waited until...

"I'm picking up fifty bodies," Barrett said.

"Alive or dead? Upper or lower level?"

"Unsure and upper. Can't get a solid read on the mines. Don't see anything outside, so you should be safe for now." Made sense. No one wanted to be outside during a sandstorm, not even robots.

"I am receiving the same results, Captain," VASCO said, and Jimin didn't answer for a beat, thinking of what to do next. Going into the mines blind could be suicide, though he did have powers. That he couldn't use. He'd rip through the glove and cause decompression. AKA: death. Couldn't have that. All he could use was his cloak since that didn't burn through his gloves (most times). It was a risk, but a necessary one.

"Alright. Vassie boy, use my keycard to open the mines." Jimin handed the keycard to him, and yes, the sole purpose of making VASCO do it was if it was booby trapped, VASCO would get it, not the crew. "I'll cloak and investigate." Jimin decided to call out to his best friend, too. Care to lend me your strength here?

The Starborn chuckled. "Do you only talk to me when you need something?"

My Y/n would say yes without being an ass about it, so yes or no, darling?

"I will do my best, but be careful."

Always am.

Jimin followed VASCO, the group flying over the electric fence to do so, and as soon as the robot opened it (and it was not, in fact, booby trapped), Jimin peeked down and glanced at Jungkook. Jungkook was still training his prosthetic, so his magshear was holstered in favor of a pistol that he one-handed. Jimin beckoned him forward, and Jungkook came by his side.

"If anything goes wrong, I want you to come save my ass," Jimin said.

"My arm-"

"Just makes you hotter." Jimin patted said arm. "Be a doll and keep me safe, yeah?"

Jungkook stared like a little bunny, his nose twitching and his eyes widening to make him look like a literal child. Jimin grinned behind his helmet and activated his cloak, dropping into the mine.

Jealousy flared like his powers, and he huffed. Why was he jealous? Oh, simple: the mine was fucking massive. Back when he had been a miner, his was cramped and had few lights. The one he was in was giant, the rocks a dark brown like his eyes with lights somehow planted inside the stone. Gravel sank under his boots, and he investigated the immediate vicinity.

No Ecliptic. Just rocks, rocks, and more rocks, something Jimin used to call home. If he had a mining laser, he could tear through the terrain and search for artifacts. But no. He didn't feel any celestial presence nearby, so he focused on the task at hand and noticed how many paths there were. Ryujin hadn't given him a map of the mines. Goodie.

Jimin uncloaked and turned toward the entrance above him. "All clear. No Ecliptic-"

'Bang!'

A bullet tearing through his stomach interrupted him, and he grunted and fell to the ground with a thud, holding his wound and watching the blood pour out. He heard a shout followed by the terrain shaking, and when he looked up, he saw Jungkook there. Jungkook grabbed Jimin by the shoulder and pulled him behind the rock wall next to them, kneeling and placing his hand on Jimin's helmet.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't you fucking dare zone out on me, Park Jimin," Jungkook said, his voice garbled. He took Jimin's right hand. "Life Force an Ecliptic. Now."

Jimin peeped his head out and saw the Ecliptic had ambushed them by hiding in the shadows. Looked like Jimin was more careless than he had thought. A routine mission, huh?

The rest of his crew joined the fight, with VASCO taking point and covering them, shooting the enemies with the energy weapon attached to his arm while Sam took the long shots at the Ecliptic all the way on the other side of the massive mine. Andreja cloaked and used one of the paths to go flank, all while Taehyung regretted his life decisions and fired one bullet at a time.

Jimin did his best to focus and reply to Jungkook. "If I do that, it'll cause decompression. No atmosphere, remember?"

"Shit. We need to get inside the main base." Jungkook peaked around before stopping and turning toward Jimin. "Wait, what about me?"

"What about you?"

"My arm. It's not real."

"Okay, ouch. It's real to me, Jeon, it's real to-"

"Oh my God, not even getting shot shuts you the fuck up." Jungkook motioned to his left arm, which was covered by his suit. "What if I isolate this section and give my glove to you?"

"That could work."

"Whatever you're doing, figure it out now!" Sam shouted, firing more and ducking under a pile of rocks. "We need you two!"

"Ha," Jimin said, snorting. "Wouldn't be the first time I've heard that line-"

Jungkook slapped Jimin's helmet. "Jimin. Shut up for once."

"Fine, fine. Tell me the plan." Jimin winced and held his bleeding stomach. "But make it fast. I think they tore my stomach lining."

"I'm going to cut off all circulation to my left arm and give you my glove after you use Life Force to heal."

"Yeah, about that." Jimin groaned and almost fell over, ignoring all the gunfire around him. "I'm getting system alerts. The shot pierced the front of my armor. I have five minutes until I'm out of air anyway. Hole's not big enough for a whole decompression, but..."

"It'll still hurt. Shit. Okay, bigger problems first. Your stomach."

"Right. I need help, Kook."

"I'm right here." Jungkook hoisted Jimin up and helped him take aim at one of the countless Ecliptic. As soon as they popped up, the Ecliptic noticed and took aim. Jimin fired out a beam of blackness, but it hit the back of the wall, worthless, and they had to retreat.

Jimin gasped and cried out from the exertion. Adrenaline helped mask some of it, but agony still ripped through his core and had his lungs shriveling up, becoming two useless, heavy sacks inside his chest.

"Shit. Jungkook, I can't..."

"Yes you can. You're not dying to a damn Ecliptic of all things. You're either going out getting killed by me or not at all, got it?"

Jimin brought his brows together despite Jungkook being unable to see it. "Why specifically you-"

"The details don't matter. Now, c'mon, get up and try again, damn it." Jungkook turned toward Taehyung. "Cover us!"

Taehyung nodded and got up to fire away, and Jungkook helped Jimin up long enough to take actual aim. The Ecliptic were retreating thanks to Taehyung's shots and Andreja's flank maneuver, and Jimin grabbed an Ecliptic with Life Force, causing the man to scream out and collapse while Jimin's wound closed. When it did, it was his turn to collapse, that time in Jungkook's steady hold. Jimin panted and felt like passing out, and he couldn't tell if that was from the ache of his body or the Aurora withdrawal.

"Hey, it's okay. I have you," Jungkook whispered, bringing Jimin to the ground to soothe him there. "They're retreating. We're okay."

"Jungkook..."

"What is it, bud?"

"Give me your glove, you fucking dumbass. I can't fucking breathe."

"Oh, shit, sorry." Jungkook took off his glove and replaced it with Jimin's torn one. That helped, but it wouldn't be a permanent solution. It wasn't like they could slap tape over the bullet hole in Jimin's stomach and call it a day. "Let's get out of here."

The mining outpost would have breathable air due to it being separated by airlocks, but the mine had the same unbreathable atmosphere that trickled away at Jimin's oxygen supply thanks to the hole in his suit. So, they began their trek. Jimin limped despite healing, and they searched the Ecliptic bodies for anything that could help with Jimin's hole.

Ecliptic retreated all the way to the top of the mine, which led to the entrance of the mining base. Sam watched them go through his scope and confirmed they didn't look back at Jimin and his crew. They were legendary, after all. Everyone knew who Park Jimin was, and as soon as they saw his display of power, they found out what they were up against.

Jimin and his posse traversed the mine without any further difficulties. It took a minute, but they made it to the top of the mine with the help of their boost packs and training. Taehyung needed to be carried by VASCO. Hopping a fence was far easier than crossing chasms, after all. Jimin almost threw up at the sight of the giant heights, but Jungkook kept him going.

"Captain," Taehyung said when they stopped below the hatch leading to the base. "They're going to be waiting for us up there. What do we do?"

Jimin sighed and leaned against the ladder, holding up his hand so they knew to shut up for a second. Then, he sent a message to Y/n.

Solar flare?

"Solar flare. I can amplify its strength and make it like an explosion."

Thank you. He stopped and rolled his eyes. No, actually, I hate manners. Fuck you.

"You seem to want to."

Jimin flipped off the sky, and his crew tilted their heads at that. All except Andreja, who chuckled at his mannerisms. Jimin stopped acting like a toddler and explained the plan to his friends before he took off his glove. He had three minutes until his oxygen ran out, but with the glove off, it was more like thirty seconds. So, he aimed and fired, obliterating the hatch and causing smoke to fly up and cover the entrance.

Jimin flew up with a mix of his grav dash and his boost pack, soaring into the airlock and seeing the three Ecliptic there, trying to peel through the smoke. Jimin swiped his magshear forward and killed them without hesitation. The airlock had three sets of doors, so Jimin put his glove back on and helped his crew up. He gagged from the oxygen leaving him, and Jungkook helped him through the series of decompressions to adjust him to the breathable air. It took a minute, but they made it to the core of the base.

The base was what Jimin expected. A typical mining base. Gray walls, gray floors, gray ceiling with bright ass white lights shaped in rectangles making up the majority of it. There were windows reinforced with bulletproof glass, too.

But there was one issue.

The floor wasn't just gray; it was crimson, too. Jimin took off his helmet to breathe better, scanning over the bodies on the ground. So, at least half of the "fifty" number Barrett had given him earlier were corpses. Warm corpses, but the blood wasn't trickling down. That meant Ecliptic had kept them prisoner for a decent amount of time before killing them. For information about the rothicite, Jimin guessed.

"Stay alert," Jimin said, taking a moment to regain his breathing pattern before putting the helmet back on for protection. He kept his glove off so he could use his powers at any time. He tapped the side of his helmet to call out to Barrett. "We're in. Any chance you can send Sarah in with a patch kit? I got shot."

"Sure thing, Capt'. You good?"

"Never. But, hey, at least I can joke about my dead spouse, too."

"Oh, come on, Capt'. Don't steal my thunder."

Jimin chuckled and dropped the connection, pulling his magshear forward and taking the lead. He took the time to listen, as he knew more Ecliptic would be on the way. Jimin saw all the scattered papers and how trashed the place looked. Only the computers were left untouched, and Jimin whistled and motioned for VASCO. Vassie understood and got to work hacking into the main terminal, scouring it for information.

Before they could get any further, three Ecliptic jumped out from behind the curvature of the circle-shaped base, firing away and causing the crew to duck behind cover. Andreja cloaked and flanked again, getting behind them while they were distracted. Andreja gunned them down once she got behind them, and as much as Jimin hated Va'ruuns, he had to admit, she was kind of useful.

Kind of.

"Nice shooting," Jimin said, and Andreja uncloaked and rested a hand on her hip.

"I did not know you could give compliments, Captain."

"Exactly why you should take them when they're given to you." Jimin came over to her and pushed her aside to search behind her, and he beckoned Jungkook and Sam forward. "Sweep the right curvature. Taehyung, Andreja, and I will sweep the left. Report back what you see."

And they did. It resulted in three gunfights from the various Ecliptic scattered around and hiding in the shadows. Ecliptic were the smarter foes, while Spacers were basically as dumb as rocks. Ecliptic used strategy and tried flanking and ambushes. To their credit, it worked. Sam got shot in the shoulder, Jimin almost died, and Taehyung got punched so hard in the helmet (with the butt of an Ecliptic's AA-99) that it cracked the helmet, causing him to be forced to wear an Ecliptic one.

But they succeeded. That was what mattered.

Jimin returned to VASCO while Jungkook investigated Sam. Turned out Jungkook had medical experience thanks to his time on the Vigilance with Commander Min. He had patched up some injured Vanguard in his free time. What a fucking saint.

"Vassie, find anything?"

"Yes, sir," VASCO said, his lanky finger plugged into the terminal to search it. "The shipment to Ryujin Industries was canceled."

"But Ryujin never got that message. Does it say why?" VASCO didn't answer, so Jimin turned to his crew. "Search the bodies. See if you can find any orders."

Ecliptic were mercenaries, which meant they had to have a slate of their orders somewhere, otherwise they couldn't perform the mission.

Andreja got to work with that, and Taehyung joined her, flinching every time blood squirted out from any of the countless bullet wounds Jimin's crew had given them. A few minutes passed, and VASCO turned back to Jimin.

"It was manually canceled a few hours ago, sir. Without notifying Ryujin."

Jimin kicked one of the corpses by him. A male scientist with a white lab coat gone red, shattered glasses on the ground next to him. That would explain why the bodies were warm despite communications being down for two days; Ecliptic had been torturing them and forcing them to perform tasks. They probably waited until the shipment was completed before killing them.

"Sir," Taehyung said, rushing over with Andreja and handing a slate to Jimin. "We found this on one of the corpses."

Andreja nodded. "He did. I just watched."

"Thanks... I think."

Jimin glanced at the slate and read the orders. They were vague on purpose, though he doubted they planned on getting caught. It didn't say the why or who did it, but it did say where the shipment got redirected to: the Clinic, the galaxy's favorite place. It was a medical station (the largest and most profitable one) working under the Freestar Collective, floating out in the Narion system. The shipment got rerouted to a researcher there named Doctor Kendrick Lane.

"Vas, look up Doctor Kendrick Lane in your databank and prepare a full report on him by the end of the day."

"Right away, sir."

Sarah came rushing in right as Jimin gave the order, wearing a Constellation suit with an AA-99 strapped around her shoulder and a black case in her hands. It was the patch kit that could close Jimin's hole.

Jimin went over and sat on one of the desks, handing the slate to Sarah. "You mind looking into Doctor Kendrick Lane when we get back? I have Vassie on it, but any information helps."

"Right away, Captain. Now, let's see about that damage." Sarah opened the kit and got to work bandaging the hole and sewing it with the thick fabric to the best of her ability, and while she did, Jimin directed his attention to Jungkook and Sam.

"Once you two are done staring into each other's eyes, go on patrol and make sure no one else is here."

Sam pointed to his bleeding shoulder. "I'm injured. And, sir, quite frankly, I'm offended. The only eyes I stare into are yours."

"And you can do that all night, cowboy, but for now, get off your lazy ass and do a patrol. Ecliptic specialize in ambushes. You want to wait around and find out if they have another in store?"

"No, sir."

"Thatta boy. Get moving."

Jungkook did his best to get Sam moving, and the two patrolled while Sarah took care of Jimin's predicament. He put his glove back on and sighed, peering over at Sarah. Her face was visible thanks to the helmet's open design, and he saw her sharp blue eyes and the bags underneath them. They rivaled Jimin's.

"They killed all these people for a damn shipment," Jimin murmured, too terrified to look at the corpses on the ground again.

Sarah finished the patch and shook her head. "Wouldn't you do the same for Y/n?"

She got up and went to go check on the other members, ensuring they didn't have any holes that needed addressing. Meanwhile, Jimin sat there, gazing at the bloody floors his mag boots attached themselves to. Crimson liquid covered the shoes until he didn't know where they had gone.

It was true; all of those bodies would be burned to a crisp if it were a choice between them and Y/n, but he didn't admit it out loud. He couldn't. Besides, he had priorities and couldn't afford thinking about that. Aurora withdrawal was going to kick in full force soon, and he needed to handle that before reporting into Masako, otherwise he might actually fry her. That meant he had one thing left to do.

He had to go to Neon.

☆☆☆

Jimin didn't know why, but he had started touching himself again.

He hadn't since Y/n had left, but as he leaned against the Astral Lounge's bar with Aurora trickling from his lips and staining his pants, he thought about it. How the previous night he had let himself feel pleasure that wasn't pleasure at all. How he had thought of Isabelle, not Y/n.

Jimin didn't know why. He didn't love her or even like her for that matter, and he hated having sex with her. But he had consented to it, hadn't he? It was supposed to be Y/n, it was Y/n, were the excuses he had given himself. But he hated it. That didn't make it rape, did it? He had consented. He hated it, but he consented every time. Including that moment, with the drunk Isabelle kissing his neck, Hobi's scarf nowhere to be found but likely on the floor somewhere, his jacket half unzipped.

Don't look. Please, don't look.

Isabelle's face flashed between her own and Y/n's, but it didn't change the purple tears streaming down his face and falling to the floor.

Stop. Stop. Please, stop. I don't want this. I don't want this.

But the words never passed his lips. The opposite came; Jimin let out a soft moan and pulled her closer to latch his lips on hers, molding their flesh together and undoing her braid to let her long locks bounce over her shoulder.

Why am I doing this? Help me, Y/n. Please, hear me.

But she couldn't. The Starborn never could hear his mind during his Aurora highs. Or, if she could, Jimin couldn't hear her. One or the other, but both resulted in him being alone.

The crowd of the Astral Lounge cheered and applauded. For the dancers, Jimin presumed, though he was occupied by his current predicament of him carrying Isabelle to the couches, wobbling in the process. They tangled up on the cushions while Jimin continued to convince himself she was Y/n. Y/n. His Mrs. Park. His wife. His soulmate.

"You're fucking incredible," he whispered against her lips. He didn't know where her dress had went. "Now open that pretty mouth of yours and moan for me."

Jimin wrapped his hand around her throat and squeezed perhaps too hard, his other hand trailing up between her thighs, and he smirked when he heard her breathless whines. Her body squirmed, and he dove in and joined their lips again, sucking in every sweet little noise she made.

Stop. I don't want this.

He had grown accustomed to those thoughts. Little Jimin had had them every time. But little Jimin also knew what to say, where to touch, and how to move. It was what he had been trained for by the gangs that had taken him in. It was the only thing he was any good at.

"That's a good fucking girl," he said, as breathless as her. He didn't know where his clothes went, either. "Let me see those eyes, beautiful. Let me see those pretty eyes while I fuck you."

She did, and he fulfilled his promise. His mind numbed, and he wanted to scream and punch her until her skull got bashed in. Maybe his own skull, too. It'd certainly be easier than dealing with the powers. It was funny, really; every time he used his powers, he said the same things.

Stop.

I don't want this.

Why am I doing this?

I want my mom.

By the time it was finished and Jimin rolled over on the couch to stare at the loopy ceiling (thanks to his Aurora high), he wanted to go again. He couldn't, not for a good ten minutes—which was a trait the gangs had loved about him: his low refractory period—though he wanted to. No, he didn't. But he did. He had to, even though his skin felt like it melted off every time he did it.

Sex made up who Jimin was. He hated it. He loved it. But he leaned toward hating it. Though, no matter what, he had it, and he pretended to enjoy it afterwards. Jimin wanted to throw up, yet he wanted to go again. It was worse than the Aurora withdrawals. It was strange for him, being addicted to the thing he hated most. The two things: sex and Aurora. Y/n had been the only one he had enjoyed having sex with. He wished that meant he could consider her his one and only.

"I feel like shit," Isabelle said, her face warping between Y/n's and hers. "What the hell did you..."

Jimin didn't want to touch her, but he rubbed her back. It struck him that she was out of it more than normal. Both of them had gotten drunk, with her mostly avoiding the Aurora but getting fucked up enough to barely remember anything after anyway. However, in that moment, she had sweaty skin that didn't seem like it came from the sex.

"Hey, Iz, you okay?" It took all his willpower to not say Y/n.

"Did you drug me?"

Jimin almost slapped her for that. "What the fuck? Dude, no. I know I'm not above murder, but drugging is too far even for me."

Isabelle almost fell off the couch, and Jimin had to clothe her and himself (he did, in fact, find Hoseok's scarf; it was on the ground by the bar) before carrying her out of the club. Okay, that was his bad. He should have known a Neon club would involve drugging. So someone had spiked her drink while they weren't looking. At least it wasn't Aurora, seeing as when she coughed, no purple powder came out. He guessed it was a basic anesthetic due to how the whole club was full of rich snobs who could afford it.

Jimin took Isabelle to the only place he knew would be safe: Ma's place. Sure, the ship was an option, but he didn't think his crew watching him carrying a drugged woman would go over well. They'd blame him, and yeah, part of it was his fault for not watching her drink, but in his defense, he was high as hell, and it wasn't his problem that she was a borderline alcoholic. The important thing was she wasn't hurt.

Ma was passed out, just like Isabelle. That saved Jimin from an awkward conversation, so he placed Isabelle on the bed and watched Ma, who was slumped over the floor in the corner. The average place for her.

Shivers rocketed down Isabelle's body, and Jimin brushed her hair back. Maybe it was his fault. She went there because he had used her all that time ago, and he used her in the present moment, too. He didn't know why she allowed it. Well, maybe he did. She understood him more than his crew did. She knew to stop when he said so, to not push on certain... issues, to ask before talking about his wife. She knew he needed an escape, which was more than most knew. Maybe she knew because she needed an escape, too.

It couldn't be easy, knowing you were basically a toy for a stranger and an entire faction. That you had been used for evil. Maybe that was why she allowed it: she wanted to take control again. Maybe she didn't see it as "using" and more "reclaiming." Jimin wished he could view sex that way.

"Ma, wake the fuck up." Jimin went over and shook the woman, who groaned and fluttered her eyes. Good enough. "I found this girl passed out in the Astral Lounge. Make sure no one hurts her, 'kay?"

Ma rubbed her eyes and glanced at Isabelle and then back at Jimin. "She'll be safe here."

It was strange how Ma had a soft spot for other women. When Jimin had introduced Y/n to her, Ma had gone ballistic over Y/n, showering her with love. Until Ma had found out Y/n was Vanguard, but prior to that, Ma had snapped into sober mode and seemed like she was on top of the world. It was sweet to see Ma so protective over women, but he wondered where that same attitude toward her son had gone.

"If she asks about me, tell her I brought her here and had to go back to my ship."

Ma nodded and opened her mouth to say more, but Jimin didn't want to hear it. Any second around Ma was a waste of time, though he did trust her to take care of Isabelle. Again, she cared for women more than her son or herself. Maybe she had heard the stories about what the UC had done to female prisoners and it gave her a soft spot, or maybe it was basic women code, Jimin didn't know. As long as it meant Isabelle was safe and Jimin didn't have to do anything further.

Whatever. He had no time to dwell on it.

Jimin's scarf bounced behind him as he departed and made his way to Ryujin. The withdrawal would kick in soon, though he had enough time to report and inform them about the whole Clinic problem and how they had to deal with it. He had a feeling they'd send him after it, but he hoped they'd be responsible and send another operative. Jimin had been through hell and back getting that information.

It took a handful of minutes to get to the executive level of Ryujin and to Masako's office, where he ignored her secretary and walked in without knocking. Masako was behind her desk, her head snapping up when she saw him approaching. Her secretary tried to stop him only for Masako to hold up her hand. The secretary departed, closing the door behind her, and Jimin opened the conversation by flicking a stick worth 30k credits at her.

She caught it. "I would thank you, but I still can't talk right."

Jimin grinned. "Good, that gets me out of unnecessary social interaction. Save your breath for the most important stuff, 'kay? I found the station and broke in, and it was guarded by Ecliptic."

"And?"

"Relax, granny, I'm getting there." Jimin plopped in one of the two chairs in front of her and rested his dirty boots on her clean desk. "The shipment was quietly canceled and rerouted to the Clinic to a man named Doctor Kendrick Lane. Yes, it was Infinity's doing. Everyone at the base was killed, and it looks like that doctor is a researcher Infinity hired to finish your mind control device."

Jimin slid the data slate with all the information toward her, and she grimaced at his boots before grabbing it and reading it for herself. Her face sank the more she read.

"Murdering an entire base of innocent miners over this? Infinity would be ruined if this got out."

"Funny how you allow mind control but draw the line at murder." Jimin yawned. "At least be consistent, M. I know I'm not above murder, so don't pretend you are."

"I am. Business is business, and the second we slip into political violence is the second we lose all sense of self. Look at you. You think I want to be like that?"

"Ouch," Jimin said with a chuckle, lowering his feet and licking his lower lip as he leaned forward. "Did I hurt your feelings?"

"I do not waste emotions on people like you." Masako set the slate down and met his eyes. "Especially when you're trying to pretend what I'm saying isn't true."

"Awh, M, you don't want to be like me? Such a shame. Is that why you've been begging me to do your work for you? I'm just so awful that you need me to do everything to get your product on the market, right?"

"That's not what I mean," she said, sighing. "Your powers are extraordinary, but the universe gave them to the wrong person. You could be a hero, but here you are going around killing and torturing for this mech. It's only a matter of time before you kill someone you don't mean to, and what then, Jimin? Will you say that was for your wife? Pass the blame off on her and make her carry that weight?"

Jimin's brows knitted together, his mouth falling open. "What? No, the blame wouldn't be on her."

"But it would be. If she's alive, she'd have to live every waking day knowing how many souls were lost to save hers. All because of your choices. You may not see it that way, but she would. And that's your problem, Mr. Park: the only one you're thinking of is yourself and how this affects you. Have you once stopped to think how it would hurt her?"

Yes, he had. He wanted her to hate him. To take out all the blame on him. But that was the problem, wasn't it? Hating him would mean causing her more pain. If it were the other way around, and he came to hate her, it would be the most painful feeling he'd ever experienced. And he was inflicting that on her.

"It's too late to stop now," Jimin said, standing and resisting the urge to bite his nails. "So enough with the lecture. Are you going to send someone out to the Clinic?"

"Yes. You." Masako smiled, and Jimin wanted to die. "But first, we want to look over this data and send a recovery team to try and salvage any potential shipments left over at the station now that you've cleared it out."

Great. Jimin was their errand boy who had done all the fighting for them.

"Give us a few days to investigate and see if we can hijack any communications between them, but no more than four. We need to move quickly."

Yeah, Jimin liked that plan. It gave him a few days to relax and snort Aurora, but it also wasn't too long that he got anxious at the thought of more time slipping away. Time was the most important thing. He controlled it, yet he didn't.

"Fine. Comm me when you want me to head over. If you waste my time calling me all the way back here just to tell me to go to the Clinic..."

"Believe it or not," Masako said, chuckling, "we want to hurry up, too. Bayu wants this product on the market, and we plan to succeed."

"Looks like Bayu's the CEO, not you."

"Ryujin is far larger than he will ever be, but he owns Neon. Every company on Neon works for Bayu. It's how survive."

"Mhm, in your nice, fancy tower while everyone else on Neon suffers. Could've used Ryujin's pretty walls back when I was growing up on the streets."

"I am very sorry you had a difficult upbringing, but blaming Ryujin for your problems will not make them go away. If you want to fight the evil on Neon, fight the gangs, the security, and Bayu. We simply adapted to survive."

"Whatever," Jimin mumbled with a huff, not caring that he looked like a toddler as he did it. "Comm me when it's time."

Jimin didn't say anything else or any farewells. He didn't have enough respect for Masako for that, which led to him departing the office without giving her another glance.

The executive floor was empty that day. A few stragglers who believed they had meetings with Masako but didn't. That was about it, aside from the obvious security patrolling. All of them placed their hands over their holstered pistols when Jimin walked by. He lit up with a solar flare and smirked at them, just to be an ass.

Jimin entered the elevator, kicked it, and descended, rubbing his arms and feeling trembles soaring through him. Almost like his hair when he used his powers. He knew it was because of the Aurora trickling away and leading into withdrawal. Not that it mattered; he had no more responsibilities. The Lodge called his name. His bed, more specifically. As much as sleeping on the ship was fine, it was far from ideal due to his powers. They hadn't triggered in his sleep in a while—if anything, Y/n being gone had them triggering less in his sleep—but that didn't change how he wanted to be on solid ground.

Aurora caused his sleep to be light and short. He was sure his crew noticed how his eye bags grew larger, and his hair became more brittle than before, no matter how amazing his hair products were (thank Taehyung and his obsession with fashion for that). Sleep was his new favorite thing, other than reading to Cora with Marbles all snuggled up on his chest. It was funny how a cat and a child—or a teen, he should say—were his last two semblances of hope. His last two strands of sanity.

What had his life become?

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A/n: Man I sure hope nothing bad happens next chapter.