Dark Omen Chapter 3

Lying back on my bunk staring blankly at the ceiling I could hear them both giggling about something in Mynxee’s Suite. I wasn’t so bothered about Mynxee, her rough attitude matched her life, and she had plenty of other people hanging off her both physically and verbally. No, it was her quiet Gallente companion that had caught my eye. Quiet, reserved but with a fire inside her that made me lightheaded just thinking about it. Maybe, maybe she would understand, maybe she would help with the nightmares.

I finally heard their door open and their laughter and banter became more pronounced as they moved past my door. As their voices faded into the distance I leaned over to my nightstand and picked up my Data-Pad, a relic compared to today’s models but still usable; Its screen turning on to various corridor views. I had long ago hacked into the station feed - that had proved useful previously in watching ‘red’ pilots and their movements and now I was going to use it to watch where they always disappeared.

Cycling through the feeds I finally spotted them just as they disappeared through a door some 5 levels down and a fair way across the station. Dropping the Data-Pad on my bunk I strode out of my room and down towards that door passing and ignoring several of my newer corpmates, their faces unknown to me. I simply was not in the mood to socialize right now.

I arrive at the door and knocked, the rapping echoed throughout the whole corridor. The door opened up a crack; a great cloud of steam billowed out causing the visor on my cowl to steam up but not before I saw that pair of mesmerizing green eyes staring at me cautiously.

I found myself mute and just stared into those eyes peering out at me. The door opened fully framing Shae where she stood wearing a Red Kimono with her hair tied up neatly. An unknown force from inside made me slowly raise my hand towards her cheek while at the same time take a step towards her. Shaes face lights up with a teasing smile and caught my collar in her hand and tugged me inside the steam filled abyss.

I stumbled in and fell to my knees. I heard the door being closed and locked behind me as I noticed at least 3 pairs of bemused eyes looking at me through the steam. I hear Shae’s voice behind me “You’re a tad overdressed for this place, but we should maybe take this one step at a time.”

I stood up and began to slowly back myself towards the nearest wall. “I am uh… not sure why I cam here… I… uh…” I trail off as my back connected with the wall and I just stare beseechingly into Shaes green eyes.

Shae winks at the other ladies peering interestingly from around the room as she takes my arm and leads me through another door in to what is most assuredly their locker room. She settled against a locker “Got something on your mind?”

I shifted uncomfortably in my robes, while the steam and heat of the previous was more oppressive the eyes staring at me now were no less intense. “ I uh… Followed you here”

My eyes following Shae’s sleek outline through the silk, tracing the curves of her body. “Ever since you Hellcats came into Evati and set up base with us I’ve wanted to approach you…”

Shae smiled. “We’re not that difficult to approach, you know…”

I shook my head. “ But it is hard to approach you, you all carry yourself with an air about you. You all make it hard to build the confidence without feeling like I’m going to be eaten alive.”

Shae looked at me surprised. “ Jorge, is there any difference dealing with us face to face or from interacting with us as pilots? We’ve flown together many times.”

I noticed a head of Red Matari Dreadlocks poking out from behind a locker on the other side of the room and the room took on an air just as oppressive as the steam in the previous room. “Is there somewhere we can go that’s more quiet? There’s stuff you need to know about me, about my past.” I raise my head to look into her eyes “'Mynxee seems intent on finding out about me but... I feel like you’re the only one I can confide in”

Shae smiles at me softly. “ You allergic to cats?”

I shake my head and Shae took hold of my arm escorted me back through the steamy room with female voices rising up in cacophony of hoots and hollers as we exited the door and made our way towards Shae’s Apartment.