Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Elsewhere- A Honeymoon

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Daggum Hammor (Chief Operations Officer) in Elsewhere- A Honeymoon

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Elsewhere- A Honeymoon
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

They walked past the guard and out the door. Dagggum grinned and said “The guard said we couldn’t leave without Kodell’s permission.” and he chuckled.

Faye snorted. “Did he now? Too bad he didn’t say that to my face…”

Once they were off the grounds, Daggum looked down at Faye and said “One more stop? Or do you want to head back to the ship?”

Daggum

She stopped and gazed up at him. “Your turn, Star Man. You were with me through my demon hunting. You’ve got me for yours- I’m armed and raring to go.” And Faye was honest, and even though she wasn’t entirely sure where he would go, she had her suspicions. Much like the holodeck program she simply observed and held space for, she would do so again with whatever the reality was here on Orion. Was she scared? Hell yes. But if any of this was supposed to be easy, they both would have done it a long time ago.

~Faye

Daggum led them to one of the public transporters. Before they entered, he pulled her aside and spoke seriously. “Now listen, Faye. Where we are headed I know you never saw. Its a far cry from the Merchant Houses and estates. We are going Gaddis, the capital of Orion. Huge crowds, lots of poverty, and everything is for sale. It’s dangerous and dirty and crowded… but we won’t be there long. I’m taking us to the closest transporter station near the Pits. We’ll have about 5en blocks to walk. If we get seperated, beam out immediately and we’ll meet back at the ship, ok?”

Daggum

Faye nodded. She reached up and rested her hand on his beautiful green skin, her grey-green eyes fierce. “I woke up in a Processing Centre and I survived plenty of hellish places during my Lost Years. I know what I’m trying to avoid,” she said, wanting him to understand that she understood the possible danger.

Dropping her hand, she reached for his and laced her fingers through his. “Just hold on tight. We got this.”

~Faye

Daggum nodded and gave her a squeeze and then they stepped into the transporter…

And stepped out into a cacophony of sights, sounds and smells…

Unlike the sunlight streets they were just on, this place was dark, lit only by the swirling holo and neon lights of the countless bars, brothels, shops, and dens of inequity that surrounded them. The city was on the same side of the planet, but the pollution was so heavy it was luke night. Daggum physically shook for a few moments, the oppressiveness and overwhelming memories flooding over him, before he took a breath and steadied himself. True, the names of places had changed, and there wasn’t a familiar face in view… but the more things had changed, the more they had remained the same.

She watched him closely, looking for signs that he needed them to pause, to take a moment, but he seemed to be steading himself. She couldn’t blame him. Faye had needed the same, to

“Follow me. Stay close.” He held her hand tight and they began to weave through the crowds. “Careful of pickpockets!” he called back to her over the din of yelling, laughter, cursing and the occasional scream.

He moved swiftly and Faye had to move faster to keep pace with him. Most of the time she tried to avoid even touching anyone, keeping her back secure where no hands could touch it, or her. For the rest, she relied on Dag, which in of itself spoke volumes about her journey and where she was now. She could let someone protect her, she didn’t insist on always doing so herself.

It took them about 30 minutes, and three would-be thieves broken fingers, to make it to their destination.

The street thinned out considerably as they reached the block of the infamous Pits. As they approached, the street became darker, less well lit, and less populated to the point they were two of the few beings on the street. Daggum slowed and looked up.

The Pits were actually a single building, epic in size for its location in the middle of the city. Almost thirty stories high, it was a large colosseum-like structure… and it had seen better days. Faded bills plastered the walls and paint flaked off the exterior. Large doors of metal stood rusted and dented at the front. Ivy clung to the walls in some places, and water ran down in others. Few lights were on outside, leaving the building facade lit only in spots of sickly yellow light.

She drew in a slow and deep breath, her calculating mind working on overdrive.

Daggum stood and stared for a long time, his eyes darting back and forth. “Well, this is a switch.” he said softly. “This used to be… something else… entirely. Painted weekly, lit up every hour of every day. Outside we would hear traffic and voices at all hours.” and he shook his head. “Oh how the mighty have fallen, I guess…”

Daggum

“My guess is that it’s been fifteen years since regular use based on the rust buildup. Rates of oxygenation and all that,” she said, letting her hand slip out of his. Moving off, Faye searched on the ground and after a moment stooped to pick up a tiny piece of metal.

Gazing at her husband, Faye studied Daggum at length before seeming to decide something and walking to the doors. Those dented doors chained to keep people out.

Crouching on one knee, she found the little lock partly hidden by the chain and studied it. Sticking the metal in, she used delicate motions to open it, slipped the lock off and tossed it and the metal pin to the side. Rising she gave Daggum the most loving look she could. You go in, or you don’t. And if you go in, you leave. All of your own accord. Your choice, Star Man. Either way, I’m with you.”

~Faye

Daggum took a breath and then said “In for a penny, in for a pound.” and then he grinned. “Another Paul-ism. No idea where he gets them from.” and he moved forward and pushed the doors open. Inside was dark, and there was no movement to be seen or sensed. Wordlessly, Daggum led them forward and soon they walked onto an abandoned promenade that was open to the sky. “This place was wall to wall vendors. Food, drink, fight memorabilia… anything, really. Black market operated pretty freely here.” He looked up and pointed to a row of broken windows a few stories above them. “Thats where the bookies and the fight managers would work. Place your bets, buy or sell a fighter.” and he shook his head. They wandered through the space, littered with trash and pools of standing water for a few quiet minutes. Once they were on the far side of the promenade, they came to a set of metal double doors. Daggum stopped and stared for a moment before walking up to them and pulling on one. It didn’t move, but gave a slight squeak. Daggum’s jaw clenched and he put both hands on the large handle and yanked it back, the door flying open and screaming in protest. As the door opened, old lights lining a flight of stairs going down and turning slightly left came on. Daggum stared down the stairs for a long time. Finally, he reached back and took Faye’s hand and led her down without a word.

The stairs spiraled down for a long time, finally opening into a hallway that stretched off to either side. The walls were bars… and everywhere that the dim illumination showed were cages. They were in various sizes, ranging from very large to very small in no particular order. Rusted drains in the floor of each and stained rock were all that seemed to be in the cells. “This is where we lived.” Daggum said softly.

Daggum