Pandora tumbled off the plush mattress and onto the floor. She rubbed the dried tears from her eyes and wondered how long she had slept. In the mirror set in front of her, she caught a glimpse of the tangled mess that was her hair. The two braids she had done earlier were barely discernible. With an embarrassed look on her face, she undid them. She was left with a full head of frizzy tangles. Pandora silently screamed at herself. Even if she had a hair brush, she wondered if she would be able to tame this madness. Pandora ran her fingers through the tangles for a few minutes. The frizziness reduced a bit, and the loose waves left behind by the braids were pretty. Yet the result wasn’t what she had hoped for, but it looked decent enough. She doubted Hale would care. Not that it mattered if he did....

Pandora changed into her cleaned white dress. The suit Hale had suggested she wear was uncomfortable, and since she was safe inside Hale’s ship, there was no need for the armor. She did feel somewhat self-conscious because the white dress revealed her entire back. It hadn’t bothered her before. But the type of glances Hale often gave her hinted at his attraction to her, though he spoke to her as if she were an annoyance and a burden. Or maybe she was reading into his behavior too much.

She shrugged, looking at her appearance once more, and tip-toed out the room, then down the hallway. She stopped, seeing Hale. Pandora stood completely still near the end of the hallway. He seemed to be unaware of her presence as he sharpened one of his many knives. He stroked his knife at an angle with a grated, metal sander. The shearing, metallic echo produced by the blade was a pleasing sound to her.

Hale’s brow was furrowed, and he bit his lower lip as he focused on this task. He looked content. He wasn’t scowling or frowning, finally. The simple motions of sharpening a knife seemed to have a therapeutic effect on him. This was as happy as she had ever seen him. In her mind, this was a glimpse of the goodness inside his heart that he protected with cynicism and hatred. The flicker of light within his eyes was proof of that.

Any goodness he had did not, however, make up for his darkness, his anger, his rage. He was still a criminal. But Pandora had to wonder if he were really as criminal as he had led everyone to believe.

He didn’t have the grisly, scarred face people often imagine criminals with. Actually, his face was quite beautiful, like a fallen angel’s, and well accentuated by his sharp jawline. Hale’s deep brown hair was thick and curled near the ends.

Having finished sharpening the knife, Hale wiped it with a cloth and slid it back into a slot on his cargo pants. He then picked up a weapon leaning against the wall and set it on the platform. Pandora assumed it was a type of sniper from its length and appearance.

Hale closed his eyes and stretched his arms. Pandora noticed he had exchanged his armor for a white t-shirt. The muscles defining his shoulders and chest were— to say the least— much more visible.

She lowered her head to hide a grin that was lingering on her face a little too long.

“How long do you plan to stand there?”

Hearing his voice caught her off guard, and she jumped. She looked up at him cautiously and smiled in embarrassment. “I didn’t want to interrupt... uh... you.”

Hale nodded and returned his focus to the sniper.

Pandora hesitantly stepped into the room. She made an obvious effort to stare at everything except him. She stood behind the co-pilot seat and stared out the viewport.

“Did you sleep well?” Hale asked.

She looked back; he was still cleaning the gun. Her heart was kicked into a frenzy because he was initiating a conversation. Hale was. Did she hear him correctly? If she answered his question incorrectly, she would appear quite stupid. She couldn’t remember exactly what he had asked. She didn’t know for sure that he had even asked her a question. So she stayed silent.

He looked back at her, pausing his work, and stared, his beautiful eyes showing confusion.

She was wrong. He did say something.

She twisted a piece of her hair around her finger. “Yes.”

“That’s good.” Hale turned back to the sniper.

Pandora was puzzled by the lack of hostility in his tone. She wasn’t going to go so far as to think he was being friendly. But he acted unbothered by her presence, which made her feel uneasy. The last time they had spoken, she was sure that he was angry with her. Maybe she had misread his actions.

Pandora turned her gaze to the viewport again to try to forget her awkwardness. She wondered where he was taking her this time. Before him, she had never had the opportunity to a visit another planet. Elani, her home, was all she had seen. And all her life, she wished to explore the galaxy outside Elani. Hale didn’t know it, but he was helping her fulfill a hope she had.

“Where are you headed now?” Pandora asked quietly.

He gave an immediate answer. “I’m meeting with a business associate of mine.”

“What planet does he live on?”

“Oh. We’re meeting on his space station in the Outskirts,” Hale replied.

Pandora gasped, louder than she wanted to, which caused Hale to turn around. Her eyes became dazed, and she forgot to breathe. She started losing her balance because she was overwhelmed at the mention of the Outskirts.

Hale dashed to her side, although not too close. “Take a deep breath,” he instructed with a calm voice.

Pandora nodded and grabbed onto the seat nearby.

Once there was no chance of her falling, Hale asked, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, I’m just stunned. You said the Outskirts, right?”

“Yes.”

“I need you to take me to this place, there.” Pandora met his eyes with hers.

Hale gave her judgmental stare. “No, trust me. It’s not a good idea. It’s dangerous.”

“Not where I need to go,” Pandora said.

“And where would that be?” Hale’s tone indicated that he wasn’t pleased.

“The planet Garra,” she answered.

Hale laughed dryly. “Never heard of it.”

“It’s a place that’s important to me,” Pandora explained.

“What’s so special about it?”

Pandora hesitated. She wasn’t sure she was ready to tell him the whole truth. What if he didn’t understand? She didn’t want to freak him out or ruin the fact that he was being nice to her. “On Garra, there’s something that I have been looking for.”

She could tell him what the object was, but she knew he would say that she was being foolish. He wouldn’t believe how special this object was. Because she hadn’t even told him about her dying home-world, Hale wouldn’t understand why she needed it. She herself couldn’t know if it even existed; she believed it did. And that was enough for her.

Hale’s face showed that his mind was processing everything she had said. “Ok, but what are you looking for? And why?”

Of course that would be the first question Hale would ask. He had an analytical and logical mind.

Pandora turned away. “It’s something very important to me and my people. That’s why I need to find it.”

Hale moved in front of her to face her. He was trying to stay calm, but Pandora could sense his growing anger. “That’s not good enough for me, Pandora. If you want me to think about wasting my time and possibly endangering my life, I’m going to need specifics. I’ve never even heard of Garra.”

What she was asking of him was insane. But again she wasn’t ready to tell him the truth.

There was one reason that he may help her. One thing that she could hold over his head. She could.

The thought of that was despicable to her. She wasn’t the person who helped others for her own gain. When she had saved Hale’s life, she thought only of him, not of the fact that he would owe her. She didn’t believe in that.

“It’s not going to be dangerous,” Pandora said.

“You don’t know that,” Hale retorted. “And I’m not helping you if you refuse to tell me the real story.” He went back to scrubbing the sniper.

“I haven’t given you a reason not to trust me. Don’t forget that I saved your life. You owe me this much.” As soon as those words left her mouth, Pandora regretted them. She had told herself not to mention that. But she was afraid for Elani. And the fear caused her to panic.

Hale stopped what he was doing, and his arms fell to his side. He stood still, remaining silent. He tilted his face down, but she could see that he was holding back all his anger by the way he clenched his fists.

“I haven’t forgotten,” his deep voice grumbled. “I guess you think because I owe you that means you own me. If that’s how you’re going about this, I’d rather you left me for dead.”

Pandora’s guilt intensified. “I didn’t mean that,” she said.

“But you did. You brought it up, which is a smart move when trying to use someone for your benefit,” Hale remarked.

“No, wait. I promise I’m not trying to use you,” she pleaded.

Hale faced her, real orange flames burning behind his pupils. “It’s fine, really. I deal with people who are always trying to use me everyday. I just didn’t expect it from you.”

Pandora shook her head. “I don’t know why I ever thought you would help me.” She pushed past him and began walking down the hall.

Hale sighed loudly. “I’ll think about it,” he called back to her.

She said nothing in return, locking the bedroom door behind her.

* * * *

He ran both hands through his hair and exhaled curses through his mouth. His headache was coming back from the stress. He reached in the same compartment for a drink, this one more potent than the others. Hale popped off the lid and brought the bottle to his lips. He set the glass down after he had finished it off and sat on the floor, his legs stretched out with his back against the wall. Closing his eyes, he waited for the alcohol to affect his mind and slow down his thoughts.

Hale wondered if he were wrong about her, if she were, in fact, like everyone else. Or what he thought everyone else was like. Eventually, everyone he knew betrayed him in some way. He felt foolish for thinking it would be different with Pandora. She seemed to be proving his belief that people were the same, whether rich or poor, whether a criminal or not. Privileged people, like Pandora, only appeared good because of their opportunity. They could live luxurious lives without having to result to illegal activities. Not that Hale had to. He could have found a “normal” job. But his lifestyle was easier to support with his criminal occupation than with a lawful one, and much more interesting. Also, rebelling against the current leaders of the galaxy was exhilarating. He relished in undermining authority that wasn’t his own.

He could be wrong about her. Maybe Pandora wasn’t trying to use him. What if she were only asking for help? What if her intentions were good? It wouldn’t be the first time he read into someone else’s behavior too deeply. But she wouldn’t have brought up her saving his life, if she didn’t think he owed her.

Hale figured that her saving him had become part of her hidden plan all along. Therefore, it seemed logical to assume that her kindness was fake.

And that was sickening to him because he had fallen for her lies. He had stupidly believed she was as close to perfect as anyone could get.

He grinned slightly.

But perhaps her being imperfect wasn’t necessarily a terrible thing. Perhaps it meant that he could experience a certain fantasy with her, after all. Only if she would allow it though.

Hale wasn’t sure how she felt towards him physically. Was he her type? He was used to being everyone’s type. But she hadn’t really hinted that she would be interested in him that way… or had she? He was hesitant to just ask.

He sighed. If he wanted her, he would have to take her to that stupid planet. He was still annoyed that she refused to tell him any details about her mission. He never risked his life for free.

But he did owe her.

I need another drink, he thought.

* * * *

The ship lurched forward abruptly, causing Pandora to afterwards fall back, hitting her skull on the headboard. She groaned from the pain.

From the bed, she looked out the viewport and beheld the dark infiniteness of space speckled with multicolored stars. Hale must have brought them out of hyperspace. She wondered how close they were to Hale’s destination. As much as she wished to find out, that would involve her going to the bridge, where Hale was, and asking him. She doubted he wanted to see her, although he say, at the last moment, he would consider helping her, but he was understandably reluctant.

If it were possible, Pandora would retract saying that he owed her. She regretted letting her fears get the best of her.

In the middle of mulling over their last conversation, she felt the ship’s momentum halt. Shortly after, a hollow clicking sound echoed through the ship. The way the bedroom viewport was facing prohibited her from seeing anything, but she knew that sound came from Hale’s ship docking onto, she assumed, the space station he mentioned earlier.

Heavy footsteps sounded from outside the room. When he knocked, Pandora shivered.

After waiting a few seconds, he knocked again, several times. “Hello?”

She took a breath and calmed down. She reminded herself that she would have to face him eventually. She slid the door open a third of the way. “Yes?”

Hale’s body was once again covered in his protective suit. His face expression was unreadable and his eyes averted her gaze altogether. “We’re here,” he said dully.

“Ok, just give me a minute to change. And I’ll be right out.” She started to slide the door shut.

Hale stopped her. “You’re not coming this time.”

“Oh,” she sighed. She assumed he was angry with her.

“I just think it would be best if you stayed here.”

His eyes hovered over her, from her legs up to her face. At first, she noticed grief and bitterness within them, but slowly his look shifted to one of longing. When he met her gaze, she stopped breathing. She was desperately confused by his lustful eyes.

“I suppose,” he murmured, “that I can trust you to stay here.”

Pandora took a step back to put more distance between them. “Yes, of course”

Hale sighed and turned to walk away.

Pandora slid the door open more and slipped out into the hallway. “Hale!”

He turned back to her and stepped closer.

She knew what she must say to him, if he were ever to help her. She was the only person she knew outside Elani that she could trust enough to take her to Garra. He wasn’t trustworthy, but he had the potential to be. His harshness towards her came from habit, not from his heart.

And he was an Elani, with a powerful gift. But he didn’t use it and hated it. If Pandora could convince him to come with her to Garra, she might be able to help him see the goodness and strength that she saw in him. Help him to connect with his gift and to use it wisely. She knew some of his grief came from cutting himself of to his powers.

If she wanted to save her home and have a chance to help Hale, she had to apologize....

“I am so very sorry, Hale,” she whispered.

He remained quiet.

“You don’t owe me. And I truly don’t expect or want you to feel like you have to take me to Garra. I understand that it’s risky. I can find another way.” She watched his eyes and waited for him to react.

Hale continued staring at her, saying nothing, his blue eyes wavering softly.

“When I use my gift to save a life, I’m not doing it for myself. Ever. It’s always for the individual,” she explained.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Hale spoke up. “Not to me. I appreciate it, but it’s not necessary.”

“It is.”

He shrugged. “Whatever makes you feel better.”

Hale half-smiled and walked back to the bridge. Pandora was thankful she had the courage to apologize, though he said she didn’t have to. She could breathe while his presence once again.

As he went down the hallway, she noted that he carried only the two pistols around his waist. He had no rifle on his back, and he wasn’t wearing his helmet. He must have not been expecting significant danger.

He opened the airlock between his ship and the space station. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

She waved. “Bye and good luck, Hale.”

“If you need to contact me, you can use the ship’s transmission system,” he said.

“Okay.”

He opened his mouth to say what looked to be goodbye. But he stopped himself and entered the airlock, and the entrance to his ship closed behind him.