Chapter 002 - New Planet, New People

Hermes awoke to the sight and heat of a raging fire, birthed from what once had been his ship. He was too busy worrying for his own life to think about how Scraps would feel after hearing what had happened to his dear work of art. 

"There's a dude in here!?" he could hear through the noises of the inferno and the ringing of his ears. He saw a hand extend towards his, and without even thinking, he grabbed it. The hand tugged against him with all of its weight, until he was completely out of harm's reach.

His vision had quickly faded to darkness, then he suddenly woke up again, this time laying on the wooden floor of a small household. He could finally make out the appearance of the person who saved him. It was a young woman, only a year or two older than him, who wore baggy cargo pants and a tank top covered only slightly by a cropped yellow jacket, which seemed to only be used as part of her aesthetic instead of any practical purpose. She had long, spiked up, black hair and a wide smile on her face. Hermes could tell that this girl's energy outweighed even his own.

"So kind of you to finally wake up, kid," the girl smiled, "the name's Azaru Chanser!"

"Kid? I'm 18, plus you only look a few years older than me." replied Hermes, still waking up from his slumber. 

"Whatever, I'm 20 therefore I'm older, therefore I'm able to call you a kid, ha! Anyways, who cares? What's your name, kid?" Azaru replied.

"Umm, the name's Hermes Martinez, but my friends call me Socks." Hermes explained, hiding the fact that his 'friends' was really just Scraps.

"Well… 'Socks', welcome to the Chanser household, and Sazawa as a whole. I'm guessing you haven't been to this planet before, judging by your… unconventional landing." Azaru said, then chuckled to herself.

"I'm from Polasty and I was just trying to get to Comasyn," he explained, "there's apparently some medicine on the black market there that can treat my sister's Diselapholia, so I tried to fly there but I crashed here instead."

"Well you're free to stay here for as long as you need. My parents, grandpa, sister, and I have been taking care of you. As long as you don't cause any trouble, I'm sure they'd love to have you."

As soon as she said this, the front door opened to the sound of a couple arguing, following behind them was an old, frail man, a mature-looking yet young woman, and two young boys; one in his teens and one just a kid. The couple continued to argue as they put groceries on the counter, but when they saw Hermes they both went silent for a few seconds.

"Well, looks like he finally woke up." laughed the younger woman.

"How long was I out for?" asked Hermes.

"Well you crashed on January 3rd and it's the 12th, so… 9 days" she said.

"9 days!?" this made Hermes stand straight up, "I have to go now!"

Hermes began to run for the door but Azaru grabbed his arm and he just walked in place for a few seconds before giving up.

"You can't go dude, your ship is broken. Besides, you haven't even gotten to know the family yet."

Azaru's father made dinner for the family as well as Hermes. While eating, they did introductions. The girl who had just talked to Hermes was Aetha, Azaru's older sister. Aetha was a 23 year old woman who wore all of her hair up, like it could fall over any second. She also had two brothers, Erick, who was 15, and Max, who was only 8. Erick had long hair while Max had a buzzcut. Their differences were made even more clear by their clothing; it was clear that Aetha helped Max get ready because they shared a sense of casual fanciness in their clothing, while Erick wore simple clothing that was more effective than stylish.

While Aetha was more than old enough to move out of the house -- which her mother recommended -- she preferred to stay home and help care for her siblings and the rest of the family.

The old man who came in was Azaru's grandpa, Grandpa Wesley. Wesley was extremely pale not only from his genes but also his old age and seemingly poor health. Azaru's mother looked like she had had her children quite young, however the same did not seem to apply to her grandpa. While he did not talk much, at least at the dinner table, he seemed like a nice enough man.

Hermes told the family about his story and after a bit of arguing, the parents agreed that he could stay as long as he helped out around the house.

"What do you all do for a living?" Asked Hermes.

"I sell different things at the market and Jeremy here is a mechanic." Azaru's mother pointed at Azaru's father.

"Do you do any work?" Hermes asked, this time looking at Azaru.

"Of course I do! I'm a mechanic too!" she exclaimed.

"Wow you guys are just like Scraps… maybe you could be the mechanic for my ship!" Hermes said happily.

Azaru stared blankly at the boy for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "Yeah, like I'd ever do that. Only time I'd ever get into a ship is if we were going to Eden."

"Eden?" asked Hermes. He wasn't sure if this was a place on Sazawa or a different planet entirely. If it was a planet, he had memorized all eight planets in the Keger system, so it would have to be very far away.

"It's a legendary planet, or so they say," Azaru elaborated, "People aren't sure of what's on it though. Maybe treasure, creatures, another civilization or Heaven itself. Personally, I think it has all the gold you could ever ask for. That's why I want to go there!"

"Well then, if you join my crew, we can go to Eden!'' said Hermes. This caused Azaru's face to light up from excitement. The rest of her family looked relieved that Azaru finally had a way of getting to Eden, obviously pestering them about it for quite some time now. 

"Really!? Dad, can I go!?" she asked extremely loudly.

"Of course-" her dad began before her mother cut him off.

"But first you need to work around town. Prove your worth and earn your money." she said with a stern expression. This made Azaru's immense joy turn into a frown, then a face of anger.

"Why do you always have to act like this, mom?" she said before storming outside and slamming the door behind her.

"Where's she going?" asked Max.

Azaru's mother rolled her eyes. "She's probably going to sit on top of the water tower like she always does when she's upset about something."

Azaru's father turned to face his wife and began to talk in a serious tone. "You need to go easier on the girl," he said, "she's an adult now. She wants to be treated like one, not just like she's your child."

This made her even more mad. She slammed her hands on the table and began to yell. "Well maybe she should listen to what people say or just leave the house for good then!" She stormed off into what most likely was her bedroom, just like how her daughter had left.

"Mom and dad always fight." casually said Max while putting his dishes away.

"Same with mom and Azaru." continued Erick.

"Boys, please don't say these things about your mother." replied their father. They kept talking back and forth with each other so Hermes decided it would be best for him to leave and go look for Azaru. He remembered hearing her mother say something about a water tower so he decided to look for it.

The city was very tight, with most streets looking more like alleyways. Thankfully, it was fairly late so there were not many people or vehicles crowding the streets. After a few minutes of clumsily traversing the pseudo-alleyways, he finally reached a more open plaza. From there, he was able to look up and see a water tower just above the skyline of many of the shorter buildings. It looked to only be a block or so away so Hermes decided to take his time and admire the view as he went on his way.

He passed by street vendors, all selling various different items from jewelry to food and even pet animals. Any corner he turned there would be someone trying to sell him something. The environment was beautiful from a foreigner's standpoint but he would most likely get annoyed if he had to put up with this nearly every day.

When he finally reached the water tower, he climbed up the rusted, rickety ladder. Seconds climbing up felt like hours and a small distance felt like a great height. Hermes did his best not to look down and eventually made it to the top, where he saw Azaru sitting sadly, looking at the city below her.

"Why did you come here?" she asked, sounding almost upset at Hermes.

"To check up on you."

"Why?" she asked, "You don't even know me." She began to shed a tear, then another, before she began to sob. Hermes gave her time to cry before sitting down next to her and talking.

"Because you're a person, just like anyone else. You deserve to be happy." he replied.

"Don't say corny things like that," she giggled, wiping the tears from her face, "I want to be happy but I also want my family to be happy, but my mom and I always end up getting into arguments."

"At least you have parents, mine abandoned me. Even old man Scraps can get mad at me sometimes but I know he still loves me." replied Hermes.

"I get that she loves me, but I feel like it's only out of necessity." she responded.

"There's plenty of parents who don't actually love their kids but your mom really seems like she does. Arguments happen but they shouldn't happen this much. Maybe you should try to tell her your feelings more."

"I try," began Azaru, as she started to cry again, "but every time it ends up becoming an argument."

Hermes responded, "You just need to find a middle ground between the two of you. Try to find what gets each other angry and try to avoid those things."

Azaru laughed again. "Easier said than done, but thank you, I'll try to." She paused before talking again, "Ugh, I still need to get some things from the market. Want to help?"

"It would be my pleasure." said Hermes with an artificially posh voice. They laughed for a bit then both climbed down the ladder and went through one of the crowded streets filled with vendors.

"Alright, what's on the list?" asked Hermes.

Azaru looked down and read what her mother had written. "First off is some groceries, then some parts for a machine and finally some more clothes." 

They walked together, weaving through groups of people, getting each item one by one for almost an hour in complete silence, only hearing the sounds of the street life and the howling wind. Azaru walked through the plazas and alleyways as though she had been through this exact route millions of times before. Finally, Azaru decided to talk during a long stretch between vendors.

"I can't believe I'm leaving my home planet just because some weird guy said he'd take me to a planet that might not actually exist."

"Sometimes the world works in mysterious ways, but honestly I'm glad to have met you…" Hermes quickly ruined the heartfelt sentiment, "...because now I officially have a crew!"

"Saying 'crew' when it's just one girl whose only joining for her own gain is pushing it," laughed Azaru, "but I do owe you for cheering me up earlier. Thank y--"

Before Azaru could finish her sentence a bandana-wearing man stepped in front of them, followed closely behind by four lackeys, all adorning the same sinister garb. 

"Alright kids, why don't we make this simple and you just hand over your money." said the man in a scratchy voice. He knew that they wouldn't actually hand it over for obvious reasons so before the two could do anything, he pulled out a knife from his pocket that was hidden from the long rag tied around his neck.

"Aw darn, guess we'll have to hand all our money over." said Azaru in a noticeably unbothered tone. She pretended to dig around in her pockets for a while and then leaned over to whisper to Hermes, "When I go left, you go right, okay?"

"B--"

Hermes tried to speak but she already set her plan in action and flanked the thieves from the left. Her sudden dash confused Hermes just long enough for one of the thief's lackeys to run towards him. Thankfully the lesser thieves didn't seem to have any weapons on them, but the one running towards Hermes had rusty brass knuckles on top of his mud-covered fist.

Hermes tried to duck the incoming punch but the thief sweeped his feet, causing him to trip and while he was still falling, the thief managed to land a blow to his chest, causing him to fly even further back against a wall.

While Hermes was still struggling to recover, Azaru was beating up the head thief and already had a lackey passed out on the ground. The leader had attempted to stab Azaru but she blocked his arm and pushed it upwards out of the way. While he was still in her grasp, she bent his wrist upwards, which caused his knife to go flying into the air. Waiting for the perfect moment, she caught the knife midair and pointed it at the group of thieves with a smug grin. They all stopped attacking the two adventurers and put their hands up.

"Back away or I'll have to use this thing" she said in the most serious tone Hermes had heard yet.

"Y-yes ma'am!" said one of the thieves before they all sprinted away.

"Wow, you're quite the powerhouse" said Hermes while still attempting to catch his breath.

"Wish I could say the same to you." laughed Azaru as Hermes desperately tried to hide his embarrassment, "We should go ahead and get ourselves blasters for protection."

She jogged away while Hermes tried his best to catch up behind her, then after a while they had finally arrived at a weapon shop. The walls were lined with various weapons, all the way from laser blasters and plasma swords to crossbows and medieval swords from the old world of Earth. Even though the technology of blasters and the sorts were more advanced than simple swords and bows, the old world weapons were much more pricey, as they were seen as antiques instead of actual weapons you would use for combat.

The high-pitched chime of the old-fashioned doorbell must have alerted the cashier because a man entered the shopping area from the back closet.

"Welcome to Anton's Weapons & Antiques! How may I help you?" said the man almost robotically in a country-like accent. He was most likely the titular Anton, as the store was only as big as a decently sized living room, so there wouldn't be a high demand of workers.

"We're looking for some blasters… Give us the cheapest ones you got!" exclaimed Azaru. 

Anton dug through his pockets and pulled out a key to open up a glass shelf full of various weapons that they couldn't make out. As they approached the shelf, they noticed it looked more like a scrapyard rather than a collection of actual weapons. "You really have to lock this crap up?" Hermes wanted to say, but kept to himself.

"These right here are the refurbished weapons, cheaper than most weapons by four or five fold. Customers bring in their broken things and I fix 'em right up to the best of my abilities." cheerfully said Anton.

Azaru leaned over to Hermes, "This guy has to be crazy. Sure they might be way cheaper than all the weapons, but that's because these things are broken beyond repair."

Acting like nothing had happened, Azaru turned back to the owner and said, "What're your cheapest blasters… that aren't refurbished?"

"Come right this way," waved on Anton as he walked towards a shelf and picked up a yellow, plastic-looking blaster, "This right here is the Holomart Co. Ameteur Pistol Blaster. It's portable, light, and very inexpensive."

"Did you say Holomart? You mean like the supermarket chain?" asked Hermes, confident that he had misheard something.

"Yep, those are the folks. They've been expanding lately; started making their own products, restaurants, gas stations, blasters, ships. Hell, they even started selling their own houses." said Anton, letting out a chuckle at the end.

"Yeah, sure is crazy how companies are nowadays," said Azaru, desperate to change the conversation, "Could you ring us up for two of these things?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Anton, grabbing two blasters and taking them to the cash registers, "That will be 450 Holo-Coins!"

"450!?" yelled Azaru, so loud that passersby could more likely than not hear her from the streets. She quickly grabbed her phone to look at her balance. She only had 4,000 Holo-Coins left.

"Well, there goes any chance of getting a ship that's more than a piece of crap." she complained while transferring her Holo-Coins to the register.

She grabbed the blasters, handed one to Hermes, was waved goodbye by Anton, then they made their ways back on the road.

"Now we just need to finish up the errands and get ourselves a ship!" she grinned, then ran down the road, forcing Hermes to trail behind her.

After they had gotten a few more things for her family and took them back to the house, they arrived at a building with large, bold letters reading "Holomart Vehicles."

"Of course this place is owned by them too…" Hermes thought to himself as they entered the large building. Spread throughout both the exterior and interior were various vehicles; hovercars, hoverbikes, trucks, boats, and most important of them all; spaceships. Their sizes varied from only having a single seat in the interior to juggernauts that filled up an entire room. To think that there were ships in space that far exceeded even the biggest of these ships was hard for Hermes to wrap his head around.

"Let's check out the biggest one, this one looks villainous!" yelled Hermes as he ran to a large, black juggernaut with neon red lights coming out from the sides.

"No, you idiot," butted in Azaru, "Don't you remember that both of us are completely broke!?"

Hermes' wide grin slowly faded into a melancholic frown and he hung his head low, "Oh yeah… Fair point, I guess."

"Let's get…" Azaru paused while she held out her index finger, slowly gliding from ship to ship before she settled on a white four-seater ship with what appeared to be a back room and sleeping quarters, "This one! It's perfect, especially if we want to have a full crew."

Seeing Azaru's enthusiastic pointing, an employee walked up to the two of them with an artificially happy smile, "I see you've taken a liking to that one. It's an X445 Holomart Supernova with a state-of-the-art -- for the time -- Marconite-fueled engine that will last you enough distance to go to another planet and hopefully the way back."

Hermes turned to Azaru and whispered, "You're a mechanic, you know what any of that means?"

"Not at all," bluntly stated Azaru, "Also aren't you the one who lived with a guy whose whole life revolved around ships?"

Azaru did not wait for a response and instead turned to the employee and grinned, "We'll take it!"

"Very well then, here is your receipt." The cashier sent a form to Azaru's phone which caused her to audibly gasp.

"What is it?" asked Hermes, looking over in an attempt to see the receipt, "Is it really expensive or something?"

Azaru quickly pulled the phone away, making sure that Hermes could not see the display. 

"Oh umm… haha… it'll be fine. I just… need you to transfer basically all of your money to me." she said at first attempting to keep a cheerful facade, before fading into a frown that was so exaggerated it looked like a cartoon character.

"Well, I can give you what I have, but it's not much at all." replied Hermes without a bit of sadness in his voice as he transferred his savings to Azaru. This made Azaru worry just how little money he had. Thankfully, it was enough for at least a down payment, shown by a cheerful tune coming from Azaru's phone and a semi-robotic voice telling her that her transaction had been completed.

Azaru looked back down at the phone and began to read something, "Insert n…" she read aloud, then turned to Hermes, "Hey Socks, what should we name this thing?"

Hermes thought for a while before turning to the employee who was impatiently waiting for the two to finish their purchase, "What did you say the ship model was?"

The employee forced a smile and a professional tone and answered, "Why, it's a X445 Holomart Supernova of course!"

"Well then," Hermes paused, "We'll name it The Nova!" 

"Seems a bit like plagiarism but I can't come up with anything better anyways, so The Nova it is." Azaru said, typing away at her phone. Yet another jingle played and she put her phone back into her pocket.

"We will take The Nova to the back lot shortly , then you may go wherever you like with it. It will be only a few minutes!" said the employee before running into a door labeled 'Employees Only.'

The two waited for what felt like an eternity before the employee finally came out, telling them that The Nova was now ready to be piloted. Hermes jumped into the driver's seat and Azaru into the passenger's, then after a few minutes of Hermes attempting to understand the controls, the ship entered the air then left the atmosphere of Sazawa.