A new day dawned, and Leere awoke from his makeshift bed within the same grey cargo hold walls. So much time had passed and there was so much Leere missed, but today he could only think of one thing. He desperately needed a shower. Since the second he woke it's all his mind was transfixed on. It hadn't bothered him for so long, as it wouldn't with anyone after the initial phase of acceptance, but today was a weird day for him.
Perhaps after he'd gathered some merchandise to sell on Malta, or maybe before that if the opportunity arose? Today was a weird day. His mind was playing an odd amount of tricks with what it thought about. Like always, he struggled to retain focus as his mind drifted. The bored was maddening in of itself, but all the other factors just pile on and enhance his issues.
It wouldn't take long for him to amass enough people to get himself started on Malta, or at least that's what he'd assume. One good day should be enough. But until his first catch arrives, he lies and waits - bored beyond belief and with a mind that can't decide what it wants to focus on. A normal day like any other.
The day did see it's progress, slow but sure. As a few traders were run off a bit too far from the lanes or that a few too many thought they could win in a fight against him. He didn't have the biggest cargo hold due to a large part of it holding the only thing keeping him alive and the rest acted as his living space. After Leere had obtained a few lost stragglers, he set off on his journey into the abyss once more. This time, with an actual destination.
The orange dream was to be his salvation once more, but Leere didn't fancy the thought of having to become exposed to Cardamine again - though he didn't really have a choice. Once he landed on Malta, he was going to be forced to return as a customer. Survival requires sacrifice, and Leere is a living example of such a lesson. Throughout this day, aside from his initial thoughts, all he focused on was what he was going to do once he had rebuilt what life he had left.
Within Leere's hold was a handful of imprisoned souls, still sealed inside their escape pods. His few successful hunts had got him just enough people to use as leverage and to get him started. As his ship powered through cosmos it burned the most fuel it had in a long time. He was in a rush. The sturdy little wraith made it's way through the remaining Sigma's, and then through Beta. Leere remembered this route well, but he still relied on his cloak to keep him hidden.
While his ship transitioned through Beta and into Alpha, Leere quickly scurried around the cockpit, in search of his datapad. It had seen little use beyond catching up with the events around Sirius as Leere didn't exactly have the ability to communicate with anyone else. He quickly swiped through his contacts, looking for a few people in particular, those that dwelled on Malta. He quickly moved all those that matched into their own list so he could get a better overview on his options.
They were not the most plentiful, truth be told. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd lost some contacts somehow, he was sure he had more than the selection before him. In any case, on his datapad he had three in front of him - and one stood out clearly.
"Hmm. Aaron? If he still lives here, he'd be the best shout." Leere muttered to himself. "I wonder how the guy is actually doing, unlike most we weren't actually on the worst of terms."
Aaron had been a contact for Leere for some time prior to his disappearance. Whenever Leere needed something done on Malta, or something rare acquired, hes was the man for Leere. He was an all-round business man and had his pockets in wherever there was money to be made. On Malta, Cardamine and slavery were a given. It was actually Aaron that helped Leere arrange for the ship for Maren. God knows what she did with it.
As ship approached the orange jewel that was Malta, a horrific feeling washed over Leere. Something suddenly hit him and it made him feel uneasy and like he had a nervous twitch. Whether it was the planet, the subconscious feeling of having to interact with someone after all these months of isolation, or just the body's natural reaction to the thought of being around Cardamine again, it didn't matter. It was not a pleasant feeling for sure.
The humble little wraith gracefully glided through the clouds of Malta as it slowly made planetfall. The orange perfectly mixed with the warm purple the ships cloak emitted as it revealed itself. As the ship flew through the sky Leere plugged the coordinates into the ship's computer, setting his destination for the shop he used to visit oh so frequently, it would only be a matter of minutes.
Leere breathed in heavily, closing his eyes while he exhaled. "Here goes nothing." He said to himself as if to comfort or calm his mind. However, it made little difference at all to his nerves. His nerves were on edge, and that's how they were staying.
The little Rheinland wraith slowly descended onto the landing pad, just outside where Aaron ran his dealings. Once again under the unobstructed light of day, the ship finally showed everything that it had been through. Black scorch marks dotted the hull from firefights, scratches and dents line the ship from top to bottom. If it wasn't for the miracle of technology that was nanobots, this thing would have fallen apart long ago.
Leere breathed in and out as he guided this ship down and parked it on the pad. The ship had finally touched ground, after all this time. Leere shut down the ship's engines and then, for the first time in what seemed like an age, the ship was silent. No engine, no cloak, just silence. Silence. Leere stood up slowly from his pilots chair and made his way down into the cargo hold.
His head hurt and his bones aced, but he'd finally found some sort of salvation - albeit temporary. Within the cargo hold he rooted around his many crates that he'd gathered he needed to find something to make himself look better, anything really.
"This.. there is hardly anything here." Leere complained to himself. The only thing that he could really ware was a worn jacket, but even that was better than what he was currently wearing. He wasn't exactly spoil for choice so, once again, he had to make do with what he had.
That all being said, the jacket was at least a little bit stylish. It was jet black and matched his hair perfectly, but his hair was an absolute mess. Leere tried his best to use his hands to clear it up and make it somewhat presentable, but it was near impossible thanks to how long he had sit in such squalor. There was little use in trying further, he'd improved his looks to the best of his ability but he was still a shadow of his former self.
Once again, breathing in, Leere smashed his hand into the side of the wall, hitting the control panel square in the centre. As he did, the doors out of the ship slowly opened and the ramp extended before Leere. The doors opening slowly let natural light creep in letting a massive glare strike down upon Leere. His eyes squinted at the change and the light almost felt like it burned. Nevertheless, he was happy.
Leere slowly made his way down the ramp, each step feeling more natural than the last. Being outside was something he didn't realise he missed, but it was something he truly enjoyed. He breathed in the nice Cardamine enriched air, taking it like it was the purist thing he'd ever had. This was odd, odd but nice. His headache disappeared as swiftly as it had arrived and he felt more alive than ever before - but unfortunately his looks still didn't reflect that.
He cleared his throat, and walked in through the door, eagerly expecting to see Aaron. Behind the counter, like it was any other store, stood Aaron. He was a tall and slightly grizzled man. He a slight skin colouration as was commonplace here along with matte black hair and facial hair. As Leere approached, Aaron had a look of disbelief written across his face.
"L..-Leere? That you? Damn if you aren't a sight for sore eyes." There was a slight amount of stutter in his voice. He was evidently confused, especially since it had been well over a year since they'd last been in contact. "What the hell you doing here?"
At first, Leere had no clue how to actually respond to that question. It was quite hard to answer. "I'm here because... I'm here because I need your help, friend." There was a small amount of emphasis placed at the end, as if to add a sinister undertone, but really it was Leere's particular phrasing.
Immediately in response Aaron raised a finger up, with a hint of aggression. "Hey, hey, hey! We were finished with our business. I repaid my debt to you in full when I setup that ship for you. If you want my services, you're going to have to pay like everyone else."
"That's right." Leere agreed. "I am in great need of assistance. I'll spare you the story as I know you're a busy man, so to cut to the end: I've been stranded for months upon months and have next to nothing left. The only thing I have is my ship and my skill. I need somewhere to rest and recover, and most importantly shower. Somewhere secluded on Malta, and you're one of the only contacts I've got left." Leere very quickly summarised everything, but his explanation was quite comprehensive in explaining his situation.
"I know you are not a charity my friend, but you also know that I am useful and I can get things done. I have a few captured slaves-to-be in my hold, and they are yours if you decide to help me. I know they wont fund everything I need from you, but they should at least get enough for us to get started, no? If you help me, I'll be in your debt, and you know that a valuable thing."
Aaron had a look of confliction upon his face. He was as he normally is: cold and calculating. This was a business transaction and in his mind being treated as such. "I'll.. I..." Aaron hesitated. "I'll help you, but, you best not make me regret this. You know what will happen if you do. Now, come 'round back and sit down. We'll discuss matters there."
After the initial phase of aggression, Aaron gestured him around the side of the counter. These talks were going to be long, and it was best to get comfortable.
It took a short while for them both to get settled. Aaron lead him out back into the one of the rooms. Leere never realised this but, it seemed like Aaron actually lived here. After sitting down Aaron went to go and get a couple of drinks for them both, this was already going to be a nice change - something other than plain water. Leere moved a couple of his fingers through his beard, it had noticeably grown out a sizeable amount given Leere had no ability to properly maintain it. It was no longer the beautiful bit of stubble he had kept for years.
Before long Aaron had returned, in his hands was a tray with a small compliment of items. A couple drinks, some cheese and crackers, and something wrapped up in tinfoil. He placed the tray down on the table that Leere was sat at before taking his own seat. The entire layout of the room, coupled with it's cleanliness, gave the impression that this was some sort of Gallic cafe or something of a similar nature. It wasn't, but it did remind Leere of such.
"So. Before we go anywhere, I am going to want some information." Quite typical. Aaron placed Leere's drink closer to him, indicating him to drink. The drink was actually unknown to Leere, something of Maltese origin no doubt. "Firstly, where the hell did you go? You disappeared of the face of the earth and I lost one of my good contacts." It was a fair relationship given their previous business relationship.
"That is a good question, one that is hard to answer." Leere once again spoke in a grizzled tone. It wasn't intentional, but this topic was still rather fresh in his mind and not something he was rather comfortable talking about. "The short answer is that someone I was working alongside during an operation tried to kill me, and almost succeeded. I stayed alive from good fortune, if you could call it that." Leere unzips his jacket to reveal the large wound on his chest. It still hadn't healed, and there was a good chance it never would unless he had some serious medical treatment. It had become a large scar that covered the entire of his chest. It was not pretty.
"My god. That is nasty!" Aaron was almost lost for words.
"That, and me being left for dead in the middle of nowhere has me in a bad situation, to put it lightly. I need shelter, a shower, food, and other resources. I need time. I do plan, sometime in the future, to go after this individual. That being said, I am in no state to do so now, and it will take a long time for me to be in a position to do this." For the first time in a good long while, Leere was being straight with himself about his situation. He had a history of being egotistical and arrogant, but it was to be that way in his current position.
"I can pull strings for you no problem, but I am going to need things from you. I might have people that need silencing, or certain items that need moved - discretely." Aaron placed a large amount of emphasis on that last word. He knew from the past that being discrete was not Leere's strong suit. Aaron took another sip from his drink, and picked up a bit of cheese.
"I'll take whatever I can get. You help me here and I'll be indebted to your service." Leere wasn't a fan of having to work to keep himself alive, but he had little choice the matter. Anything is better than returning to the hell he was in.
Leere took a quick sip of his drink and a tiny bite of cheese. He savoured the flavours of both, enjoying the luxury items he'd been so long deprived of.
The talks were long and drawn out. Aaron constantly requested more information and Leere skirted around most topics to the best of his ability, giving the least amount of information possible. Among his existing requests Leere emphasised he wanted to make sure his precious little ship was taken care of. That same little wraith had been with him for years and years now, and while some people might serious issues with being stuck in one place for months on end, Leere was glad it was there of all places. The Wraith had seen him through thick and thin, to say the least.
Before long, the talks became concluded. Aaron had asked all the intrusive questions he wanted and was, for the most part, satisfied with Leere's answers. Despite the cooperation between them, there was a weird feeling in there air. For some unknown reason, there was a small lack of trust between them, something time would have to amend. After all the questions and Aaron was clearing things up from the palate of food, Leere came out with one last question.
"So. Where do we start?" He blinked twice, and an almost awkwardly long silence followed. "For the time being, I'll see how I can get you setup somewhere. Aaron paused for effect. "It won't be glamorous. After I've got all that sorted and you're... taken care of we'll see about putting you to work. For now, go back to your ship, check the coordinates I gave you and head there. It wont be much, but you'll have a place to stay while you help me, somewhere isolated as well, as you requested."
The plan was easy and simple to follow. In simple terms, Leere was going to have to work of this debt, and it was going to take a while. After concluding everything, Leere gave a short bow and thanked his friend dearly. The moment Leere had left view of the building, he yelled to himself, congratulated himself. He'd done something. Moved on. Made Progress.
His excitement and enjoyment was to be short lived. Once back at the pilots seat of his signature wraith, he went to start up the ship and put the coordinates in - but the silence continued. The ship after being left in a powered on state and literally running on fumes for weeks, had finally succumb to the strain it had been put under. It seemed like the cloak's drain had finally caught up and taken it's toll on the ship. This was not good.
The only chance he had to get this thing repaired was talk to someone who helped create it. His only thought was Keller, and she was hardly going to be easy to track down - even more so given his situation. For the time being, Leere had to skulk back into Aaron. This was going to be even more difficult and Leere's mood had been incredibly drained.
Leere stepped through the door. The look on his face by comparison was abysmal. "My.. my ship. I need help." Leere was once again lost for words. "It's been through a lot, but it seems like it's packed in for now. I know what the cause is, but I need to contact someone for help, someone that would be very hard to track down. What can I do?" Overall he sounded lost, even more so than before.
"That's not good. For now, there is little you can do. Best option you have is using the ship that girl left behind, the one you arranged for last time. 'Spicerunner' I think I named it? It's in a hanger not far from here, and it's the best you're going to get. I am not paying for anything more, on top of what I'm already doing for you." Aaron rather emotionlessly flung some keys from behind the counter at Leere and pointed at the door.
With that, a sad face, and no more words, Leere left. He'll have to pick up his ship another day, when he can properly repair it.
Days had become weeks, and weeks had become months, before long months were going to become a full year. It was now February, 824A.S.
Time flies.
Leere has somewhat settled down on Malta, binding his time as he said he would. He had been working directly for Aaron for what seemed like an age, and his time on Malta had left him once again with the "Scar of Orange". He had a small house out in the wilderness of Malta, mostly away from civilisation like he'd requested.
He'd since taken the Spicerunner to use for his work and stashed his Wraith safely behind closed doors, so to speak. It was to remain this way until he could contact someone to repair the cloak and get the ship working again. It was likely due to the powercell that was embedded in the fibre of the ship, but Leere would never be able to tell.
While times had been rough, he'd certainly made the most of it and life was significantly better now than it was prior to arriving on Malta. That being said, he'd slowly been dumbed down to nothing more than a brutish thug once more, acting as a drug runner or debt collector for Aaron. It wasn't all bad, and he'd developed quite a reputation for himself and Aaron. Aaron was given the rep of someone who was not to be crossed, and Leere was the name given to those who did exactly that.
Leere's time on Malta was both profitable and successful, but there was something he was lacking. Cardamine helped alleviate some of his issues, but there was a gap that needed to be filled. Leere didn't feel the same without what he'd lost and was willing to go to many lengths to recover it, from the one who had stolen it.
After paying off his debt, Leere had stayed and continued to work in Aaron's service. All the money he had made he stashed away or spent on improving his holdings. He wanted to keep his humble abode secure and have all the facilities he needed - and that was expensive. He's spent a lot of funds at first buying his life back. Suits, services, and Cardamine.
One of his main expenses was a hangar, or a garage of sorts. It was just enough to store his Wraith and Spicerunner. Just. His other main improvement was the reinforcement of the structure itself, with a number of secure rooms. He wanted to make sure everything he had was safe, he wasn't going to lose it again. Ever.
The paranoia got to him at times.
Leere planned to keep working. He wasn't going to stop until he'd built himself a fortress and could remain undisturbed. Only then would he use his funds to go after those that had wronged him. Only then would he venture back out into Sirius proper. It was going to be a long time. Another year. One more year.