Raiden, Erika and Shurui walk through a busy market area. You can hear tons of people talking and negotiating prices while owners of shops advertise their products.

  “I always hate the smell here. The stench of huge crowds doesn’t mix well with all the oil spills.”, Erika comments.

  “I like it here. It may not smell nice but the atmosphere is nothing like the things you see in the downtown area.”, Raiden replies.

  Erika huffs out a little air: “I thought you only crashed here a week ago. How much did you get around already?”

  “Well, I had to defend myself in front of a court for reckless flying and endangerment of citizens. It’s quite difficult to crash into a city protected by a force field dome. Then they towed my ship to that scrap yard and allowed me to fix it up.”, Raiden explains.

  Erika is surprised: “They let you off that easily?”, she scoffs, “Would explain why they still haven’t gone after Garuphu.”

  “Have you had negative experiences with him?”, Raiden asks and Erika replies, “Virtually everyone in this part of the city has. The longer you live here, the higher the chance his goons act up against you and try to persuade you into working for him. Often very aggressively. One of those encounters was the reason I started constructing my hammer.”

  Erika stops and turns to a shop which has lots of mechanical parts hanging around or stuck to the walls. “We’re here.”

  “Hello hello~ Erika here!”, Erika announces herself with an apathetic expression while sounding friendly.

  An old Ocriban man comes out of the back to the counter and smiles: “Whoa! Eri-chan! You brought a boyfriend?”

  “Hey! Don’t jump to conclusions like that, old man!”, Erika gets aggravated.

  Raiden explains with his usual, permanent smile: “Erika was so nice to show me this shop. I need a hyperdrive A-600 for a spaceship. Do you have one for sale?”

  The seller replies: “Of course, young man. I have a few in the back since that model is used for any average ship. One would cost you 6.3 million Bon.”

  “HUH?! THAT’S WAY TOO MUCH!!”, Erika shouts.

  Raiden is surprised as well and orders: “Shurui-chan, look up the bounty on Garuphu again.”

  “Are you stupid?! Nobody’s dared to try and topple his empire!”, Erika warns him.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Garuphu’s bounty is a whopping 2.3 million Bon.”, Shurui says and Raiden thinks out loud, “So it hasn’t been changed. I already have 5.3 million Bon so…”, “So?”, “I’ll go and collect that!”

  Raiden and Shurui look happy while Erika is frustrated.

  Erika builds up a little anger for a few seconds and then bursts: “Okay fine! I’ll come with you and help you out!”

  Raiden is confused: “Why would you do that?”

  “I can’t just let you wander there alone. I’d constantly worry that someone gets hurt because of my indecisiveness. I’ll just be optimistic like you for once and tell myself that nobody really knows if his projected might to the public actually tells the truth.”, Erika mumbles.

  The seller is worried: “That’s reckless!”

  Erika gets closer to the seller and looks him deep in the eyes: “Please Svalin, I’m not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself.”

  Svalin tears up a little and says: “Alright, then go do what you need to do. I believe in you, Eri-chan.”

  Erika smiles in this candid moment and then takes her leave. Raiden and Shurui follow her after being rooted to the ground for another moment.

  Erika says: “We’ll do it in the evening. Let’s go back to the scrap yard for the time being.”

  Raiden tries teasing her: “Oh are you getting cold feet already~?”, and Erika explains, “Nah I’m gonna borrow your Kryzilum reactor and integrate it into my hammer. That part’s completely useless in your ship.”

  Erika picks up the pace, leaving Raiden behind who mumbles: “Can’t you ask for permission next time?”

  The entire time, a man with brown hair and red eyes was standing outside of the shop and listening to their conversation while pretending to read the newspaper.

  He thinks: “He wants to collect Garuphu’s bounty? Who does he think he is?”

  Inside of a punky police department, a gorgeous woman is being shoved into a cell.

  She looks back at the guy who violently shoved her in and lets out a deep sigh: “Now that went about as terribly as it could have.”

  “What did you try to do?”, some other woman asks from across the cell.

  The first woman is a little surprised and explains: “I’ve lived most of my life as a slave because of… uh… reasons I would like to keep to myself. Every time I try to flee, they manage to catch me again. It’s seriously frustrating. And now, since I’ve recently turned 18, it seems like they want to make me prostitute myself now for even more money.”

  The second woman offers: “Aw that’s horrible. Come here. I’ll give you hugs, if you want.”

  The first woman accepts and they cuddle into each other.

  The second woman asks: “What’s your name?”, “Atsume. And yours?”, “Lily. I’ll protect you from Garuphu.”, “Thanks but… I doubt you’re stronger than me. I’ll protect you.”

  Atsume sighs again: “I had always hoped that I might end up in love with an awesome person who sees me for who I am… and who also has a little money. Instead, I guess I’ll end up losing my firsts to that fatass.”

  Back on the scrap yard, Raiden reacts to something Erika just told him: “He’s keeping slaves?! What a bastard!!”

  Erika is a little surprised: “Damn, didn’t think that info would affect you that much. Are you secretly an empath?”

  Raiden explains himself, looking a little grim: “Not really, I do still mostly care about myself and people I care about but… if you’ve spent time as a slave, you can never forget how that is.”

  Erika thinks: “In the 11 years since what he told me happened, it seems like it hasn’t only been happy go lucky for him. As long as I don’t feel comfortable sharing my story with him, I won’t ask for his as well.”