Nothing ever went according to plan.
This was just supposed to be a smuggling job. Drop the cargo and get your credits, that was it. Quick, easy…you’d done thousands of them before. Getting there had been a cinch, no patrols from the Galactic Government anywhere in the region that you could see. So then…
Why were you currently stranded on this abandoned space station with your ship blasted into a thousand pieces? You’d witnessed your precious vessel be blasted into useless scrap by the pair of pirate crafts that had come from nowhere–no doubt cloaked and shielded to be invisible to heat signature scans.
With a mixture of strangely calm acceptance of the reality of your situation, and anger that you were stupid enough to allow this to happen, you sat on one of the few cargo loads you had managed to bring onboard the station before your ship had been destroyed.
The next several days began you slow, silent descent into preparing for your inevitable demise. You had rations enough for another week stuck out in the middle of empty space, but with no one around and nothing to do, you were beginning to go stir crazy. After awhile, you began to wonder how beneficial it was to even keep eating and drinking. No one was coming, why bother? The most you could ask for was a painless death in your sleep rather than that of dehydration and starvation.
And then as if the galaxy heard your scorned thoughts…
You heard the engines before they landed. At first you thought it nothing more than a hallucination–you’d had a few of those now–but when you looked out one of the station’s transparent panels into empty space, you saw with your own two eyes the approaching vessel.
You scrambled for your weapon, then for a place you could hide and observe the person arriving.
Peeking from behind a broken hydraulic doorway, you watched as the man stepped out from his ship into the receiving area for the dock. Tall, suave, and impossibly handsome. Figures. So close to death and you see the man of your dreams. How ironic.
He swept the area with keen eyes, a vibro-blade ready and waiting on his hip should he feel the need to brandish it. You kept still, eyeing as he walked past towards the reception area.
You wait several more seconds, wondering what in the hell he was doing in an abandoned space station in the middle of empty space, but you quickly decided you didn’t care. Confident he was long past your position, you snuck out from behind the door and hurried towards where his ship was secured.
It was a small little vessel, room enough for 2 people at most. You recognized the insignia on the side of the ship, but couldn’t place it immediately. With not a lot of time, you slipped into the ship and made a beeline for the piloting controls.
Fuck. Most of the controls weren’t familiar to you. The ship must have been produced in a region of space you weren’t familiar with, because you could barely figure out how to start the engines on it. You cursed over and over again in your head.
Hearing approaching footsteps, you scrambled–once again–for a hiding spot, managing to stuff yourself in what you had to guess was a utility storage compartment. At least it was taller than it was wide, allowing you to stand up straight.
The man returned, and you risked cracking the door just enough to be able to see into the cockpit area. He passed by the doorway, and you saw the containers of cargo you had hauled with you onto the station. He carried one on his shoulder and the other with his loose hand at his side.
You cursed him for being so strong. It had taken two trips to just bring those on the station yourself.
They chunked onto the ground as he set them down. You hoped he would return to the station to look around some more, but it appeared your luck only ran so far. The engines began to start up again, and you felt the hull begin to hum as he began switching things on.
“Last chance to get off, if you want.” He suddenly said, making you freeze and your blood run cold.
You stayed silent from your hiding spot, hoping that perhaps the man was just crazy and talked to himself.
“Suit yourself.”
And with that, the engine whirring maximized, and you felt the slight shift in the ship pushing away from the station’s dock.
Since it was clear that he knew you were onboard, there was no point in hiding. The more you spent thinking about it, the more your chances decreased. You were now stuck with the man, whether you liked it or not.
Stepping out of the storage compartment, you keep a hand on your weapon on your hips, seeing his back turned to you at the console of the ship.
“Wondered when you’d come out.” He said, finally spinning his chair to face you.
You once again thought to yourself that he was incredibly blessed with such an attractive face, but tried shaking it off to truly take stock of the situation.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I saw you board from the station.”
“…oh.”
“Yes. ‘Oh.’” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking more amused than suspicious.
For several seconds, you simply stood there, looking around the ship’s interior. Then, you figured an explanation was in order.
“I’m a smuggler.” You start, getting the worst of it out of the way. “I was supposed to bring cargo here, but my ship got destroyed by pirates while I was on the station. I’ve been stranded here for almost a week now.”
“I know who you are.”
Your brows shot up at that. Did you really have that large of a reputation? You tried keeping things quiet and on the down-low. “You do?”
“You were hired to deliver my shipment.” He said. He nodded over to indicate the crates he’d brought onboard, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. “Those are mine.”
You felt another 'oh’ wanting to burst from your lips but instead you chose to say, “I see.”
“Hmm.”
Another stale silence.
“So…what now?” You ask, hands lifting slightly in a shrug. “I’m kind of stuck onboard until we find somewhere to land. Unless…you plan on killing me instead.”
His head cocked to the side, brow raised. “Why would I kill you?”
“I’m a stowaway at this point. Most people wouldn’t hesitate to, finding someone boarding their ship.” You shake your head, rubbing at your temple in exhaustion. “I don’t want you to kill me, if that accounts for anything.”
He huffs a tiny laugh. “Noted.”
“It doesn’t matter where you leave me, just somewhere with civilization. I’ll pick up where I left off, even though…” Your words trail off as you descend into your thoughts.
“Even though…?” He prompts, and you snap from your thoughts for a moment.
“It’s nothing that concerns you. Without a ship I’m not much use to anyone and…hell, I don’t have the credits to buy another one. But I’ll worry about that when it comes to it.”
“A tough situation to be in…” He muttered, reaching up to rub at his jaw, eyes looking away as he pondered to himself.
Then, they snapped back to you. “I happen to have room enough for two people on this ship. You may accompany me if you wish. Of course, you’d no longer be a smuggler, but the choice is yours.”
You blink back your surprise. “You’d just invite me on your ship without knowing me?”
“I know all about you, Y/N. I’ve hired you many times through your smuggling contacts.” He said. “You’ve never failed to deliver everything in good condition, and I’m certain there have been times when it has been dangerous to do so. You must be strong in your own right.”
The compliments left you speechless a moment. Then, he shrugged before you could respond. “I wouldn’t mind the company, either. It gets a bit dull traveling by one’s self for long periods of time.”
“I don’t even know who you are.”
“Of course, I should have introduced myself.” He conceded the point, lowering his head in an apologetic nod. “I’m Dracule Mihawk, privateer and traveling bladesman.”
Your confusion cleared and you nearly coughed. No wonder you recognized the insignia on the ship. It was a branch of the Galactic Government anyone rarely saw and lived to tell about it.
“Oh.” You said again, feeling dumb. “Then…I know who you are too.”
He nodded slowly. “Then…what shall you choose to do, Y/N? I’m more than happy to drop you off in whichever space station you choose, if that is what you wish.”
Your thoughts are running a million parsecs a minute as you think over his offer. You’d never been able to really get ahead as a smuggler, and the opportunity to travel alongside a Galactic Privateer–and such an amazingly attractive one, at that–was nearly too good to refuse.
You were always one to make impulsive decisions. This honestly wasn’t the stupidest one you’d ever made, now that you thought about it.
You flash him a pleased smile. “Where shall I put my things?”
ns 15.158.61.51da2