Starbound: A Space Odyssey - Chapter 174

As the light faded, John looked around and saw he that he was inside a teleportation machine inside the spaceport.

“Urgh…” John was surprised as he heard a groan coming from beneath them.

He looked down and just saw the Lenny sprawled in the ground while shuddering.

John’s eyes twitched and crouched by Lenny’s side to help him stand up.

“Such weakling…” Forge snickered at Lenny that was on the ground. She rejoiced at Lenny’s misfortune as she remembered how he treated her after throwing her down the elevator.

“Shut…up…” Lenny weakly spoke, “Why does… teleporters had to exist…”

“Stop whining.” John rolled his eyes and caught Lenny’s arm, “She’s right, tho. You’re a weakling.”

Peri nodded at John’s comment.

“Weakling!” Saito just pointed at Lenny and said like John.

“Brat…” Lenny was instantly enraged and tried to stand on his own, but his wobbly legs gave up and he almost fell down if it wasn’t for John catching him, “Don’t push your luck, brat!” Seeing he couldn’t do anything for the time being, Lenny just glared at Saito.

The kid felt the glare and retreated towards Forge’s back.

Forge frowned and stared with displeasure at Lenny, “He’s just a kid. Act more like an a.d.u.l.t, Lenny.”

From behind Forge, Lenny could see Saito smiling and snickering at him, completely different from the innocent and gentle Saito from before.

“You…” Lenny pointed at Saito.

“Lenny!” John couldn’t take it anymore and called out, “That’s enough.”

“But he’s laughing at me!” Lenny protested.

“He’s just a kid, don’t mind him.” John rolled his eyes.

“But…”

“Lenny…”

“My pride…”

“Lenny!”

“Alright…” Lenny dejectedly lowered his head and John carried him away, [I’m going to teach that brat a lesson…who he thinks he is?] Lenny viciously thought.

…

The moment they walked out of the cabin, they were met with fierce glare coming from guards that were by the door of the device.

John looked at the Letheia guards and then at the security cameras before walking forward without making any moves.

The guard scanned the 5 of them before saying, “It’s only the 5 of you?”

“Yes.” John answered.

“Come with us.” The guard motioned for them to follow him.

With one of the guard in the front and the other at the back, they walked past a narrow hallway before they arrived at a cabinet with kind and gentle-looking Hylotl behind a protective glass.

“Welcome travellers.” The Hylotl greeted them with a smile while the guards just kept their stance with their fingers in trigger and coldly glaring at all of them.

But John realized something.

Both the guards and the Hylotl often sneak a peek at Saito while glaring at Peri, and almost never bothered about John and Forge.

It was obviously that they were more interested in Saito, as he was a Hylotl kid with a ragtag group from different races, and Peri because…she was a Floran, after all.

John gave a side glance at the Hylotl and caught the faint enmity and killing intent in his eyes as he looked at Peri.

[As expected…] John thought, [Old grudges die hard…this Hylotl have some hatred towards Florans.]

John approached and tapped at the glass.

The Hylotl was surprised and stopped looking over them and focused at John.

“We wish to get in the planet.” John spoke with a casual and relax tone.

“May I know the purpose of your visit?” The Hylotl recovered himself and showed a professional smile with his three red eyes twinkling as he looked at John.

“Our destination is Ark Outpost, we want permission to use the Ancient Gateway in the planet.” John straightforwardly said his intentions.

It would be bad of he loved and they somewhat found about it. He didn’t want to have more conflicts with Letheia Corporation.

“Is that so…” The Hylotl behind the glass squinted his eyes and glared at them, “The Ark Outpost is temporarily closed to newcomers, if you don’t have an ID, you won’t be able to enter.”

“We-” John was about to say they all have, but then he remembered Forge and Saito. He didn’t know if they had.

John turned around and looked over both of them.

Forge simply took a card from her PIPS and showed him.

Saito seemed to have understand and also reached for something in his PIPS.

Peri also took an ID from her PIPS. Since she stayed there for quite a while and worked for Jevil, John didn’t think it was strange for her to have it. Lenny naturally have one since both of them made one for themselves at the same time. John was more curious as to why Forge had something like this.

“John Connor…” The Hylotl started to read the ID and check if they were real, “Lenny, Forge Umbra, Peri Evergreen and… Fujiwara Saito!?”

The Hylotl exclaimed and immediately stared at Saito.

He knew very well the Fujiwara family as they were the leader of the Sea Faction.

After a moment of surprise he calmed down glanced at Saito once again. He realized the traditional and expensive clothes the kid was wearing.

His eyes glowed with a strange light and he silently communicated with the two guards with a simple glance.

[Peri Evergreen?] John looked at Peri at his side.

Peri caught sight of that glance and just shrugged he shoulders, [It was a family name given to me by Jevil’s subordinate that made my ID. He simply wanted to fill up the surname box with something.]

“That was all.” The Hylotl smiled towards them and gave back the IDs, “Welcome travellers, may you enjoy your visit.”

John nodded and left the place from the door that opened out of nowhere just beside them.

Lenny followed behind them, but he looked over Peri and they stared at each other’s eyes.

He had caught that interaction between the Hylotl and the guards and he knew they would probably be in trouble the moment they enter in the planet.

Peri also felt the change in the room’s mood and she saw the guards’ hands tightening in their weapons.

Peri and Lenny immediately rose their guards and got ready to defend themselves as soon as trouble show before them.

…

After the group of five left, the Hylotl in the cabinet reached for his PIPS and dialed a specific number.

“We found someone named Fujiwara here at planet B56GF.” He said, “His characteristics met with the child missing from a few days ago. What should I do?”

“…” The other side said something and the Hylotl nodded in understanding.

“Alright, I’ll send some agents to tail them while the Fujiwara people arrive.” The Hylotl ended up the call with his higher up and immediately sent the orders to get some people to tail John and his crew.