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dominimoonbeam · 2 days

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To The Edge - 10

This work is mine and I do not give consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted without my permission. I am sharing chapters as I work on this story but it is copyrighted material that I plan to rework and publish when completed.

story tags: scifi romance, hijinks in space, rogues learning to trust, violence, blood, guns, death, explicit language, so much kidnapping,

Works organized and easily found over on the patreon. <3

TO THE EDGE - CHAPTER 10.

He still had bits of tape stuck to his clothes and the residue on his wrists when he stormed down the long corridors of Carina, one of the worst outposts in the whole stretch of dark space he called home.

He couldn’t believe they’d tased him again.

He checked his gun before holstering it against his thigh, hands still twitching from the electricity. Could he even aim the damn thing right now if he needed to? Maybe it was a good thing if he couldn’t, because his first shot might be for that primer.

He hadn’t been unconscious for long, though it had taken him a few minutes to get his legs under him and then find his damn guns.

His vision still had waves at the edges when he reached the station proper. A hub of transport and exchange buzzed around him, making him sway into a wall but never stop moving forward. Ships docked along arms in all directions on twenty levels, cargo pushed on trollies and driven on trucks into that center ring. He willed himself not to drop when all that sound and movement hit him at once.

Closing his eyes, Rory dragged a breath and then a second before opening his eyes and accessing his optic implant. He had maps of the whole station from previous visits, blue light in his vision putting up signs and arrows, making order out of that jumbled mess. He pulled up the tracking program and there they were, a pulse of yellow light down the corridor on the seventh floor up from where he stood.

He took the stairs rather than waiting on an available lift and with each flight he felt himself shaking off the residual disorientation and twitches of that electric shock.

When he reached the same floor as them, their beacon of light flashed at him through walls, somewhere in that direction.

Rory turned down a hall and a mercenary stepped into his path, hand on his gun and mouth pulled in a sneer.

It wasn’t like he was wearing a badge that said he was a mercenary, it was just sort of obvious after decades of dealing with them. It was the gear, the stance, and the confidence. “You’re heading the wrong way, buddy,” the guy said. A second mercenary leaned against the wall near an open docking door to their ship.

The problem with mercenaries, in Rory’s opinion, was that they were so easy to identify, and yet none of them had any idea what a bounty hunter looked like when they saw one. They saw military. They saw other mercs. And they saw pirates. But Rory? Rory was a background civilian to these people.

He pulled his gun so fast the merc barely had time to register it… and then he shot him.

The merc fell with a groan, hands to his bleeding middle, and Rory leveled the barrel on the second one. She wasn’t leaning against the wall anymore, her full attention on the situation and her hand on her gun, half-pulled from the holster before being caught in his line.

Rory laughed shakily, still looking at the second one when he said to the first. “Sorry, buddy. I meant to shoot you in the leg. I think I’m still twitching…”

The first just groaned and rolled, crying now.

“Where’s my bounty?” he asked the second.

She hadn’t let go of her gun yet. Was she waiting for a chance to pull and try her luck? “What are you talking about?”

Rory clocked the welt on her cheek and recently opened scabs on her knuckles. “Oh, I think you’ve met them. We both know I can’t stand here for long. Give them back or you’ll be on the ground with your friend.”

Her gaze didn’t budge and her hand didn’t drop.

The mercenary on the floor kicked onto his back and pulled a gun from his thigh, lifting it in a second wind of violent desperation. Mercenaries were good at that. Pirates would run, plea, and beg. Mercenaries would die with gritted teeth, taking as many people down with them. Though Rory appreciated that trait poetically, it was a nightmare in practicality.

He lunged forward, shouldering the second mercenary into the wall while dodging the first shot and trying to stop her from pulling her gun. He stretched his arm down and fired another round into the merc on the floor, still struggling with the second. She kneed him hard in the thigh, dropping him to his knee and getting her gun free.

Rory caught her hand and pushed it away just as she fired, her shot going wide while his barrel pressed right up against her chest. Her body muffled the shot and he grunted, pushing himself to his feet while she dropped to the side.

He ducked through the doorway they had been guarding, shoulder to the wall of the long hall as he jogged the length to the ship, inside just before another mercenary came around a corner.

How many were there?

The whole interior of the ship pulsed in yellow for his vision, telling him they were there…somewhere.

The mercenary held up his hands, gaze flicking between Rory’s face and his already-drawn weapon. “I think you’ve made a big mistake,” they said.

Rory was honestly surprised this one hadn’t called him buddy too. “Where are they?”

The mercenary shrugged, hands slowly lowering. They took a step back and to the side.

“I said, where is my fucking bounty?” Rory yelled, keeping his eye and his gun on the merc.

“What are you talking about?” They weren’t even trying to sound confused.

“You heard me!” His hand started shaking, not from nerves but from the fucking electric shocks of the last day. “I know you have them! I know they hired you and I’m guessing you already double-crossed them. I’m giving you a chance to hand over what’s mine before you end up like the rest of your crew.”

The merc grinned at the tremble in his hand, reading it all wrong. Their own hand, steady, drifted toward the gun holstered against their thigh.

“Don’t draw that on me…” Rory warned. “I swear, if you—”

Fearless, the mercenary pulled their gun—probably already imagining their own legend unfolding from this moment.

Rory fired before the gun was even free, blowing the merc back into the wall in a heap.

He sighed, holstering his weapon and shaking out his twitching hand.

“Okay,” he said, more to himself than anyone else, turning to consider the ship for the first time. “You’re here somewhere, Stardust. I know you’re here and you’re still alive so…”

He spun toward a thump and blinked down at a cargo box.

Something inside knocked again.

Rory bit back a laugh, stepping closer. “Stardust…are you in the box?”

A series of thumps rattled off inside the metal container.

He tapped on the outside and they drummed angrily inside. “Okay, knock twice for yes. Do you regret trying to hire these guys?”

The pause was palpable. Rory waited.

Knock. Knock.

He laughed, forgetting his anger about all the trouble they’d put him through. “Yeah. You’re lucky that bounty on you made it really clear your family wants you back alive…” This was perfect. He cast his gaze around for a way to move the box. “You’re awfully quiet though. Did they gag you too?

Knock. Knock.

“Smart. I’m kind of sorry I killed them now. They had the right idea…” This couldn’t be better. He found a trolley and pushed the cargo off of it. Boxes of protein bars busted open, spilling brightly wrapped rectangles onto the floor. “You’re lucky I caught up to you before they left the station. How long did it take for them to realize you were worth more as a bounty than an employer? Oh yeah, you can’t answer that… Yes or no questions…”

He looked at the crate. “Are you sorry you stole my ship?”

In the pause before the two soft knocks, he imagined their scowl.

“Are you going to behave if I open the box?”

Rory waited.

The knocks were quick.

He laughed. They were a shit liar even when they were gagged. “Yeah, I don’t believe you, Stardust. Not even a little bit.” Without jostling them too much, Rory hefted the crate onto the trolley. “I’m convinced that you’re incapable of staying out of trouble, which would have made you a great friend in another life but right now you’re a terrible bounty.”

They beat what he hoped was their boot against the side of the box, screams that sounded a lot like they were meant to be swears muffled inside.

“Settle down.” He pushed them past the dead mercenary and down the hall, toward more bodies. Would they care? They hadn’t been exactly squeamish about the pirates he dropped when he picked them up. “You’re not getting out of the box yet. In fact, I’m thinking I’ll drill a hole in the top here to drop in some water bottles and protein bars when we get back to the ship. Maybe you can stay in there until we get you home.” He had to kick one of the mercenary’s legs out of the way to get the cart around the corner.

Stardust banged against the lid of their box.

“Yeah, yeah, the restraints and the gag.” Dropping food and water in wouldn’t work. “I wonder what their plan was for keeping you alive in there… Or maybe they thought they’d let you out once they were on their way. Poor fools. You would have done a number on them.”

He turned down the main hall, into the flow of other visitors moving cargo around to the lifts. Carina wasn’t a lawful station by any stretch, even for the edge, but getting out of there before someone decided to care about the dead mercs was probably the best move. The last thing he needed was someone else realizing how much the cargo in that crate was worth.

He took the lift back down to the floor where Stardust had parked his ship.

“Do you still have that jacket?” he wondered aloud. If anyone noticed him talking, they would assume it was on a call over his optic implant and not to the person in the box he was pushing.

Stardust kicked and thumped wildly.

Rory laughed, biting his tongue to try to stop. It was just too good. “Calm down! We’re coming up on a checkpoint and I’d rather not have to shoot anyone else for you today…” Really, if Stardust had paid a little extra to park on one of the higher levels, they could skip the checkpoint. It was really just a shakedown for a little extra credit.

The augmented human stood in his path, one scope eye twisting side to side to analyze him and his cargo. “What do you have there?” they asked, voice shuddering with a synthetic rattle. Another augment stood behind them, more machine than human to the point where Rory wasn’t entirely sure they were alive and not just a statue.

“In this?” Rory asked, pointing at the crate on the trolley like there was any other crate they might be asking about.

Stardust screamed and thumped wildly inside the box.

The augment lifted the eyebrow they still had and he instantly hoped they never gave up that swatch of skin for more metal and tech because it was a very expressive gesture, especially with that smirk.

Rory leaned against the handlebar of the trolley. “Bought them off a skin ship. I wouldn’t suggest getting a peak. I hear they’re a biter.”

The smirk became a grin. They had metal teeth. “You’re into biting?”

“Oh, I’m just transporting,” he clarified and held out a plastic card between fingers.

The augment took it, their scope eyes honing in on the card to read the prepaid credit value before their smile turned polite and disinterested. “Have a good night,” they said, stepping back.

“Yeah, you have a good night too,” Rory pushed on, into the quieter hallway leading off into arms numbered by parking spots at the station.

His cargo had been quiet since their attempt at getting rescued. They would have been better off with the mercs than the cut-throat muscle working Carina. But how could they know that? “Did you really think they’d care? You have no idea where you are, Stardust. You should be thanking me for trying to get you home.”

There were no knocks of agreement or thumps of rage this time.

Rory laughed, pushing them back to his ship.

The door opened and he finally got them back onboard, parking their dumb ass on the deck while he manually locked the ship.

When he came back to the deck, they were pushing at the lid of their box, like it might suddenly be open.

The bounty hunter laughed and shook his head, even if they couldn’t see it. “Oh no, you’re staying in there until I’m done resetting the systems controls.”

They kept thumping but he ignored them, opening a panel to get at the primary access controls for the ship. In all the cycles he’d been picking up bounties, some willing and some definitely not, this was the first time he’d lost control of his ship.

When Stardust continued to thump, he tried a command and flooded the deck with music, pleased it had worked and even more so that the beat synced up with the primer’s tantrum nicely.

#to the edge #defying gravity #own work #scifi romance #ride or die in space #the adventures of stardust and cosmic #audio script to novel #<3 #dominimoonbeam #clover down #romance

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dominimoonbeam · 2 days

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I have so many fun prompt asks in my inbox. So many first kisses need to happen!

Hope your Friday is going great!

#writing update #<3 #redactedverse #fanfic #dominimoonbeam

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dominimoonbeam · 4 days

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When will the next parts of The Adventures of Stardust and Cosmic come out?

(Favourite series ever)

The audio parts? I'm hoping to finish the script and get it off to Jouska soon. I promise it is absolutely not abandoned or anything like that and will definitely have a finale!

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it! <3 <3

#the adventures of stardust and cosmic #audio script #ride or die in space #sci fi romance #<3 #dominimoonbeam #own work

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dominimoonbeam · 4 days

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DOMINI!! HOW ARE YOU!!

may i ask for

oh, don't be cute.

wait, did you just say that i'm cute?

putting on lip gloss/balm before the kiss, having fun sharing different flavors

with david and darlin pleaseee?? thank youuu ♥️♥️♥️♥️

ZOZO!!!! Okay, this was great and soo much fun! Thank you!! I hope you like how it turned out. <3 <3 <3 You're amazing, thank you so much for the ask!!

David/Darlin

tags: first kiss, prompt fic, a little tipsy, idiots in love

Coconut.

The warehouse was trashed from the pack party but David couldn’t quite muster the energy to care. It was almost four in the morning. He should start sending them home… really he should have done that an hour ago. Several of the pack were already passed out on the couches or the floor. He knew they kept some bedding at the warehouse but he hadn’t realized it was quite this much. They’d basically built a nest.

Fuck it. They could sleep here. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about them all getting home safely. He closed his eyes, arms folded across his chest and body settling into the couch. He could make breakfast in the morning. That would be nice.

The couch bounced when someone plopped down next to him.

He didn’t have to open his eyes to know who it was. He could feel their aura against his. Loyal, sharp, quick to anger, quick to run, brave, but so damn scared. His nose wrinkled, eyes still closed. “Why do you smell like coconut?”

He felt them shrug, their arm against his.

David opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Darlin. Their eyes were half-lidded. They’d been riding their buzz for the last hour or two. His gaze flicked to their mouth and the gloss on their lips.

“This was all Milo had,” they explained with another shrug.

David nodded, watching their lips move as they spoke. He was riding a buzz too. Their mouth was lush. Why hadn’t he noticed that before? He’d been crushing on this idiot for years but never really noticed those lips... They’d been flirting for months now. Asher didn’t think Darlin really thought they were flirting though. He was probably right.

David uncurled his arms and held out a hand, palm up, doing gimmie fingers.

Darlin grinned. “You want some?”

“Hn.” He wanted it.

Something mischievous lit their eyes and they tipped their chin up, offering their lips, eyes always on him, daring him to get some.

David smiled despite all efforts not to. “Oh, don’t be cute.” Don’t tempt me, he thought.

Darlin laughed and looked away, sinking back against the cushions next to him, shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. “Wait. Did you just say that I’m cute?” They turned their head to look at him again, surprise hitting late.

David was looking back, their faces close. He saw the moment Darlin realized it and heard their pulse jump. Their gaze flicked down to his mouth. They didn’t pull away, but forced a sideways smile that made him think they were about to say something self-deprecating to cut the tension…

“No one would call me cute, Davey.”

Yep. He didn’t look away. “I did. Want me to call you more names?” he asked, deadpan and patient.

Their eyes widened a fraction and he could practically hear the battle in their mind, wanting to egg him on, wanting to know what he would say, but not wanting to risk it either. They nodded once. The whole warehouse was a hive of activity but it all faded.

“You bite hard, you’re brave, and your mouth is really pretty.”

Darlin’s eyes were as wide as he’d ever seen them and their smile was an explosion. “Fuck you, you did not just say my mouth was pretty!”

David ignored all of his own nerves and the heat climbing his face. He wasn’t going to look away from this. “I said really pretty.”

“You’re messing with me, Shaw.”

He finally smiled, because how could he not when they served it up like that? “I’ll mess with you if you want, any time… if you’re willing to share your chapstick.”

Darlin stared, practically gawked, seeming to realize again just how close they were sitting. “You’re drunk,” they said in way of explanation.

David just watched them, waiting. He was tipsy, sure, but he wasn’t drunk and they knew it. Their eyes flicked to his lips again. He wanted so much to close that distance but he couldn’t. He needed them to make that move.

His heart beat faster when the leaned in, his hands curling into fists against his own arms to keep from grabbing at them right away. They kissed him so softly, lips sticky with that coconut chapstick. For a split second after, he felt the flutter of uncertainty in them, not regret for kissing but fear that it was a joke at their expense and they’d fallen for it—that he didn’t feel the same—that he was just messing with them. It all vibrated there across those indescribable threads that connected them.

David reached across and curled a hand behind their neck, pulling them in again and this time kissing them deep enough to taste the pina colada on their tongue. The kiss was long and slow and when it broke he smiled. “So… You like coconut, huh?”

Darlin grinned back. “Don’t you?”

He nodded. He did now.

#david/darlin #redactedverse #first kiss prompts #<3 #dominimoonbeam #redacted asmr #fanfic

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dominimoonbeam · 4 days

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&. 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬 (𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬?) 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

( various dialogue prompts to send to your worst enemy (affectionate). feel free to change how you seem fit. )

❛ oh great, it's you again. ❜

❛ you? kill me? that's funny. ❜

❛ for being someone you hate, i'm sure on your mind a lot. ❜

❛ you're the last person i wanted to see, actually. ❜

❛ do us both a favor. stay away from me. ❜

❛ you really are an asshole, you know that? ❜

❛ i'm the asshole? what does that make you then? ❜

❛ sometimes i think you must hate me. ❜

❛ i thought you said you never wanted to see me again. ❜

❛ if you want me to go, then you have to tell me to leave. ❜

❛ well, someone's cranky today. ❜

❛ well, someone needs to shut the fuck up. ❜

❛ just stay out of my way. ❜

❛ of all the idiots in the world, i'm stuck with you. ❜

❛ what is it you want this time? ❜

❛ sometimes i wonder if you're in love with me. ❜

❛ do you honestly think this is easy for me? ❜

❛ why would i ever want to be friends with you? ❜

❛ can we please just talk? ❜

❛ there is nothing for us to talk about. ❜

❛ you can yell at me later. just let me help you. ❜

❛ touch me, and you're dead. ❜

❛ oh, so now you care? ❜

❛ there is something deeply wrong with you. ❜

❛ i know i'm the last person you probably want to see, but... ❜

❛ you don't think we could be friends, do you? ❜

❛ i'm tired of fighting against you. ❜

❛ don't pretend you give a shit about me. ❜

❛ you're an idiot, but... i trust you. ❜

❛ oh, don't be cute. ❜

❛ wait, did you just say that i'm cute? ❜

❛ we're not good for each other. ❜

❛ if i say yes, will you shut up? ❜

❛ don't you have to be stupid somewhere else? ❜

❛ maybe we should kiss just to break the tension. ❜

❛ i'm sorry i can't turn off my feelings as easily as you. ❜

❛ maybe there's a universe out there where we're friends. ❜

❛ how can you be so smart yet so dumb at the same time? ❜

❛ don't think this changes anything between us. ❜

❛ you look ridiculous in that outfit, by the way. ❜

❛ if you die, i'll kill you. ❜

❛ is that a challenge? ❜

❛ ah, so you're not heartless after all. ❜

❛ i don't think i've ever seen you smile. ❜

❛ you never cared about me, so why now? ❜

❛ why didn't you kill me when you had the chance? ❜

❛ i don't even remember why we started fighting. ❜

❛ i don't have time for distractions right now. ❜

❛ you're not as bad as everyone says you are. ❜

❛ enemies make the best lovers, you know. ❜

#oh my gosh THESE #send me your wishes and feel free to mix with the first kiss prompt or any other ideas you have #redactedverse #redacted asmr #fanfic #<3 #prompt day

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dominimoonbeam · 4 days

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kissing prompts 💛

(romantic + queerplatonic) (no tongue)

an accidental kiss on the corner of the mouth.

a very gentle peck on the lips, not wanting to overwhelm you or push your boundaries.

a hurried kiss before parting ways that holds unspoken words of adoration.

a firm kiss, perhaps a bit too overeager, grateful for something you did for them.

a kiss for luck.

a fluffy make-out session with no French kissing, just soft, tender kisses and cuddling.

a kiss meant to share oxygen in a dire situation, resulting in an extended lip-lock for minutes on end.

kissing you to keep you warm on a cold day.

kissing to unlock some sort of magical power.

a farewell kiss that turns out not to be a farewell.

kissing in an attempt to understand each other, perhaps starting out angry, frustrated, and becoming gentler and more empathetic as the curious pecks continue.

kissing as part of a game, especially if you and/or them have never kissed anyone before. perhaps it's a bit clumsy, but the heart's there.

kissing to annoy a third party.

putting on lip gloss/balm before the kiss, having fun sharing different flavors.

saving you and your partner's first kiss together for your wedding day, and not being able to stop kissing.

#first kiss prompts!#i'm open if you have wishes <3 #my heart!#redactedverse #redacted asmr #kissing prompts #writing prompts

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dominimoonbeam · 4 days

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I finished prepping the patreon/own work posts for May and am finding my footing with my schedule and writing and all the projects I have going this year... so, I'm going to put up some prompt lists if anyone wants to ask. I'm leaning non-canon but I'll consider whatever you want! No promises, of course, but I would love to do some writing and hopefully you'd enjoy some fics, even if it's short kissy prompts. <3 <3

#fanfic writing #redactedverse #hello i'm still here i promise #redacted asmr #<3 #dominimoonbeam #update

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dominimoonbeam · 4 days

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Once again, I'm thinking about Fear Street 1666 and that moment when Sarah and Hannah were tied up under a hanging tree with that townful of idiots screaming at them to confess to witchery and Sarah looked at Hannah and said she confessed... because she wasn't confessing to being a witch. She was confessing to loving that girl and that was the real reason they were going to kill her.

#fear street #i'm not sure i'll ever stop thinking about this moment #these movies were so good but this moment..#tw: homophobia #tw: horror #tw: hate crime

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dominimoonbeam · 5 days

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Don't Touch My Stuff

Don't Touch My Stuff comes out next week! The goodreads is up if you want to add it to your TBR. I am so excited to share another contemporary romance, but mind those tags. <3

tags: trapped in elevator, stalker, mugging, enemies to friends to lovers, threatening messages, misunderstanding, trust, neighbors to everything, past assault, estranged parents, assault, explicit content, contemporary romance, mentions of child abuse and domestic violence, trauma related to jealousy

#<3 #don't touch my stuff #contemporary romance #own work #neighbors to enemies to friends to lovers #with a touch of stalker drama #clover down #dominimoonbeam #writblr #writer #writers of tumblr

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dominimoonbeam · 6 days

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Okay. The new fan arrived and I've swapped them out! So far so good. Fingers crossed we don't hear the tiny kitten with the chainsaw inside my computer again...

#computer troubles #so hopeful #writblr #writers of tumblr

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dominimoonbeam · 7 days

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To The Edge - 9

story tags: scifi romance, hijinks in space, rogues learning to trust, violence, blood, guns, death, explicit language, so much kidnapping,

Works organized and easily found over on the patreon. <3

TO THE EDGE - CHAPTER 9.

They were almost there. Almost to the hub station where the mercenaries they’d contacted had said to meet them. For a second, before he patched them up, Stardust had considered trying to buy Cosmic’s help. They needed to get someplace and they needed a ship. From what they’d learned on Styx, buying a jet this far out was nearly impossible, but hiring transport was easy. Just about everyone with a ship was looking to make easy money.

…It wasn’t going to be easy money, though. There was a good chance their cousins would send more bounty hunters and, even if they didn’t, if Cosmic betrayed their contract he’d end up with a price on his head.

There was no way they could trust him to help them at his own risk, and if he was willing… there was no way Stardust could do that to someone. Especially not someone that had patched them up.

The console lit up in a strobe of bright yellow.

Incoming—

They tapped the console.

Call declined.

Cosmic sighed loudly. “That’s the third time that L-class yacht has tried to call, Stardust… Maybe you should just answer.”

They scoffed, swiveling side to side in their seat and watching the stars rather than their captive. Why answer? To hear Tansy’s terms of surrender? Or to have Genesis list the ways he’d make them pay when he got his hands on them? No. They’d rather not know which one it was.

They spun around to face their bounty hunter, smirking when a thought occurred to them. “Wouldn’t that reflect badly on you? You should be begging me not to answer.”

“Yes, it would look bad for me if you did and someone found out I’d lost my ship to my bounty…but I don’t think that’s why you’re avoiding the call.”

Stardust felt their smile sag. What if it wasn’t Genesis or Tansy? What if Illya was involved? Or Galileo herself? Would Stardust have to return if they called? How could they not? Solinoh knees only bent for the family and those were the names that brought them crawling.

No. It couldn’t be Galileo. If she knew, it would be over. If she knew, the others would have scattered and pretended they’d never had their eyes on the prize.

“Did you really run away from home? Is that what you were doing out here when you got picked up by pirates?”

Stardust looked at him. Rory Antilla. They still thought Cosmic suited him better. They’d had time to sift through his ship logs. He was a jack of all trades and had been to just about every corner of the edge, flirting with the border to the Court but not quite crossing. He was a smugglers, a thief, and a bounty hunter with an impressive log of successful jobs. No wonder he’d been the first to find them.

He laughed when they didn’t answer, the sound frustrated. “It is, isn’t it? Why? What cracked plan led you to think that life out here would be better than on some luxury resort planet back in the prime?”

They wrinkled their nose and tried to push away thoughts of Lu-Pan and Cory’s offer to hide out on a beach. There was no way to explain it to Cosmic—definitely no way without giving him enough information to get him killed. “What do you know about it?” they snapped off instead.

“Yeah, I don’t know anything,” he agreed. “But you could tell me. I mean, I am a captive audience. Emphasis on captive…”

They scrubbed a hand over their face, hating how much they did want to tell him. “My family can be… dangerous.” Fuck. That was nowhere close.

“Yeah, I know your family is dangerous, Stardust,” he started with a scoff but slowed, his eyes reconsidering them in a way that made their skin feel exposed. “Is that… I mean, why would that matter to you? Are you…scared of them?”

Their chest tightened. It was so much more complicated than just being family. They were blood. They were Solinoh. But not every branch of their tree was equal and not every branch loved the others. Stardust was a Solinoh Fairvell, a line of the family that had swung back and forth between trying to rule and trying to leave. It had not inspired closeness.

“Is that why you ran?” he asked, trying to understand.

They flinched at that honest effort—at what sounded dangerously close to caring in his voice. “I didn’t run,” they retorted. “I just left.”

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “Oh, you didn’t run?” he asked, words dripping with amusement. “Like how you didn’t faint?”

They set their jaw. They would absolutely never admit to having fainted.

Cosmic dragged a breath and slouched back in the chair, having long since stopped trying to pull his arms and legs free of all that duct tape.

“Okay,” he tried again. “Just tell me what you’re doing and maybe I can help. Was your family after you before the pirates tried to ransom you?”

Stardust swiveled side to side. He was smart. They felt like if they didn’t get off that ship with him soon, he might actually figure out what was going on.

“Damn. You do have bad luck, Stardust…” he laughed, like their silence was answer enough. “So, why are they after you? Did you steal something?”

They laughed before they could think better of it, shrugging and leaning back to look up at the ceiling. “I guess you could say so. I stole myself.” And now they were in deep.

“…You…You stole yourself? What does that mean?”

They pressed their mouth shut and shook their head. They shouldn’t have said that. They shouldn’t be talking to him at all. So, why hadn’t they just taped his mouth shut? With a sigh, they sat upright and swiveled forward again, back to him.

“Wait! Wait! Come on, we can figure this out. You don’t want to go home? Fine. I’ll drop you someplace else. Cut me loose and I’ll forget about the whole stealing my ship thing. Promise.”

They smiled despite all effort not to but refused to look back at him again. “Really?” they asked, doubtful. Hadn’t he been promising to make them pay an hour ago?

“Yeah, I mean, if I wasn’t taped to this chair, I could even make it a pinky promise.”

They ignored him.

Cosmic groaned, kicking at the floor. “Come on, Stardust! You don’t have a plan! You’re going to get us both killed.”

They tsked at him. “I have a plan.”

“Oh, you do have a plan? Fantastic! What is it? I’m all ears.”

They watched the stars. “I’m hiring alternative transport. We’re going to some station called Carina where you will get your ship back and I will be on my way, out of your hair.”

Quiet stretched with only the hum of the ship for so long that they had to look back just to make sure he was still there. He was. Still taped to his seat and staring at her.

“You… No. That’s not a plan. That’s like jumping out of a ship without a helmet and calling it a plan, Stardust.”

They rolled their eyes and turned their attention forward again.

“Going to another station to meet—”

“I’m hiring alternative transport,” they corrected. “I’ll let you go after!”

“Oh,” he said with sarcastic cheer. “Oh! You’re going to hire some mercenaries to take you where you want to go and then you’ll cut me loose. Well, thank you, but that’s not going to work.”

“Really? You think I can’t find someone with a ship willing to take me where I want to go?” They’d already found someone, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Logistics aside, you don’t stand a chance. There is a bounty out for your return. You think I’m the only one that got wind of it? Why do you think I was hauling ass to get you home? Every hunter on this side of the galaxy is going to be looking for you.”

They shrugged. How many could there even be out on this side of the galaxy? There was nothing out this way but abandoned settlements and stations.

“Stardust… Have you ever heard about Baron?” he asked.

Baron? They almost rolled their eyes. They’d known plenty of people who called themselves Baron, half of them legally named it. Royalty names were always popular in the prime. Cornelius had been middle-named Contessa. Admittedly, it was cooler than the affinity for space names like Stardust.

“He was some high-born primer like you that roamed too far from home and got kidnapped.”

Stardust shot Cosmic a lifted eyebrow. He was bullshitting now.

Only, nothing about his expression hinted at a joke. “It was a while back… but things didn’t go smoothly. Hunters started killing each other to be the one collecting that bounty. If anyone realizes who you are, things are going to get ugly. Shit, Stardust, even if they don’t realize who you are, they’re going to double-cross you. You’ll get yourself killed.”

They tore their gaze off him. He could be right. What insurance did they have that these mercenaries wouldn’t double-cross them? Payment. Part now and part later. It wasn’t like they had any other options. “So why did you do it?” they asked the stars, not turning to look back at him this time.

“What?” he asked, confused, and then he laughed darkly. “You want to know why I took the job if it was so dangerous?”

They nodded at the window, his reflection there in the glass, like he was out there in the stars.

“Because I’m the best,” he said, so smug that it sent a chill right down their spine. “Because it’s a huge payday and because…” He stopped short, the words and thoughts catching on something else. Some memory or terrible truth? The bounty hunter sighed, his eyes finding theirs in the reflection. “Because last time, that rich kid didn’t make it back… The hunters were so busy fighting over the bounty that he just… He got caught in the crossfire. That’s what happens out here. Things go wrong and people die. People like you are dangerous because everyone else around them gets hurt too.”

Stardust stared back at him. “That’s no different than back in the prime.” People like them, Solinohs, were dangerous everywhere.

“When that high born died, even though half the hunters that were fighting over him had died too, his family sent one of their yachts out here armed to the teeth and shot down everything they laid eyes on. They blew a whole station off the map.”

Stardust refused to wince, because of course that was what would happen. When a Solinoh died, even in the prime, even in the house of other primers, someone had to pay for that loss—someone had to learn the lesson so that everyone else would remember the value of their lives above all others. Why wouldn’t the primers do the same to others? It was ugly and wrong, but it was exactly what they would do.

Cosmic nodded at their reflection, lip curled, and they knew he saw it in their face—saw the lack of surprise. “So, you, Stardust, are going home. Right back where you belong. I am getting that payday and that’s going to be the end of it.”

Stardust pushed their boot along the floor, twisting their seat around to look at him. “I don’t think anyone but my relatives have ever tried to command me, Cosmic. It’s honestly adorable, especially considering that you’re still taped to that fucking chair.”

He grinned, and it looked like he’d bite them if he could. “Yeah, I can see why you think you have the upper hand right now, but we both know you’re not going to leave me here to die. So, you will have to cut me loose eventually.”

They bit back a laugh. He was so clever but he still hadn’t figured out how this was going to go down… “I know you really wanted that bounty. How about this, I’ll send you the money myself when I get someplace. It’s only fair for you getting me out of that situation with the pirates and letting me borrow your ship.”

His teeth clicked angrily. “Whatever tiff you’re having with your bloodline, you can sort out after I drop you off.”

The ship beeped and then announced, Approaching station.

The bounty hunter glared. “You’re not listening to me at all, are you?”

“Never have, no,” Stardust admitted, getting up from the captain’s chair and pulling their jacket back on.

“Stardust, you are going to get us killed,” he implored, all serious and big eyes now.

They fixed their collar, the ship jostling a little as it neared the station. “I’m saving you, asshole. You’ll realize it eventually. Or you won’t but, by then, I’ll have wired you some cash and you’ll feel better.”

“Saving… Stop! You’re not saving anyone! Least of all me.” He kicked at the ground, struggling against his bindings anew. “Fine! Go! Just cut me loose and get the hell off my ship!”

Preparing to dock.

They grabbed onto the edge of wall near him, the ship jerking to the side when it coupled with the station. Gears and valves hummed as it connected.

Stardust reached into their boot and pulled out the little weapon they’d kept since they first tied him up.

Cosmic tensed, staring at them. “What are you doing with the stun gun?”

Stardust bit back a guilty smile.

“No. You don’t have to knock me out before you cut me loose. I’ll let you go!”

“Oh, right, I’m definitely going to believe that…”

“I’m not lying!”

They waited, raising an eyebrow.

He snarled. “…Okay, I’m lying! But if you stun me with that thing again, I swear, I’m going to make you pay. I don’t care how far you run or how many mercenaries you hire, Stardust. I’m going to get you back, I’m going to steal your jacket, and I’m going to drag your ass all the way back to your cousins.”

Stardust stepped closer, grabbing the back of his chair over one shoulder. “You’re not the first to threaten me or even the first to hunt me.”

Docked.

They flicked the safety off the stun gun.

He stared right into their eyes. “Don’t do this…” It was more of a warning than a plea.

Stardust had had a lot of enemies and rivals over the decades of their life, but they thought they might like him the most. “I am sorry,” they admitted because it was true. They didn’t want to hurt him. If there was a better way to knock him out, they would take it. They hadn’t been familiar enough with the drugs in his med room to risk using one of those.

“Don’t apologize! Just don’t do it!” he yelled.

Stardust tased him. Again. They didn’t look away, because they wanted to. They didn’t like seeing his body seize and his eyes roll back like that. It looked painful and it felt cruel, but it was their choice to do it—so they’d witness it too. That was how they’d been raised. They could do bad things, but they had to look.

When he was out, they made quick work of cutting the tape, not enough that he’d fall out of the seat but enough that he’d be able to get loose when he came too.

“Thanks for the ride,” they said to no one before leaving.

#To the Edge #defying gravity #sci fi romance #audio script to novel #own work #ride or die in space #<3 #dominimoonbeam #clover down #the adventures of stardust and cosmic

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dominimoonbeam · 9 days