"I'm doing a lot better, now" Said Lance, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Although he told only a half truth to his Navigator, in all honesty he was still a little shaken from the past few days. Every so often he would catch himself staring off into space, dwelling on things that could not be helped. Like the fact that Terra seemed to be a prime target for trouble, or the fact that a vicious gang of space pirates was after him…and most likely would be until the day he died. He shook his head trying to rid himself of the pointless thoughts for he knew they would only bring him pain and grief.
However many times he thought about it, he knew in his heart that the Red Fleet was going to catch him sooner or later, thats what they did; captured and killed, robbed and pillaged. The fact that Lance had been able to keep out of their clutches for so long was nothing short of a miracle. Again he glanced down at his arm, the black notches forever would remain on his skin, it was a sort of battle trophy, reminding him of the killer he was and would always be.
Lance had a sudden sense of claustrophobia, he needed to get out of the building, in fact he needed to get out and away from everything and everyone. He Stood up, faking a quick smile to Terra.
"I'm gonna head out side for a bit, Ter. Catch up with you later ok?" Knowing that she was still eating he turned before her answer. Hopefully she wouldn't sense the pain he was experiencing, but who was he kidding she sensed everything.
Lance busted through two long, swinging, glass doors that led outside. as soon as the tropical air hit his face he was taken short by the astonishing beauty of the planet. Although this was not his first time here he always failed to remember just how amazing it was, similar to the grand Canyon back on earth.
At first glance, Restoria looked similar to a 20th century golf course. There were long, wide stretches of emerald green grass, that every so often gave ways to a small hill. All along the grassy walkways were small buildings made up of exposed wooden planks and straw roofs. Each one had a different service inside. One might have been a message parlor, and maybe another a hot rock sauna. The entire make upon the planet was build to be like any other vacation spot you could imagine, except with a round the clock medical staff.
To the left was a crystal clear lake. It was so clean and inviting that a whole assortment of water birds dotted its surface. It almost looked like an exhibit at a zoo. Everything, from the rocks that outlined the lake to the large willow tree that sat, over looking the west side, was well maintained. Lance imagined it would take an army of gardeners to keep this place so perfect. That or some droids, he cringed at the thought; After the last planet they were on the last thing he ever wanted to see in his entire life was another Android.
It was early in the day, and Lance wanted to be alone for a while longer.He didn't want Tera to see him in his current state. He felt weak and vulnerable, and that was no way for a captain to be. So as he walked across the perfectly cut grassy lawn, he made sure to breath deeply and concentrate on getting back to normal, so he could be with her once again. It was storage the way he felt when they were not together. It was as if she was his counterpart, and in order for him to be his best he needed her company.
After a short distance, Lance stopped short. Just ahead was a building that looked different than the others. It was made of brick and in the back was a huge metal container that looked similar to a water tower, but it was no water tower. Lance had to only breath in to know what it was. The strong smell of fresh hops and yeast gave it away. It was a brewery. Upon closer inspection, Lance saw that it was also a bar. A sign over the top of the main entrance read " Restoria Rest stop". Lance almost chuckled at the name before reading the rest of the sign, "The only place in the galaxy to get Restoria Reserve". Must be a type of beer, thought Lance. If he had been in the mood for drinking, maybe he would stop in later.
He passed it by for the time being, savoring the rich smell of hops as he did. Then another spot caught his eye, it was another brick building with a sign that read, "Restoria Tattoos". Without any hesitation Lance headed towards it, thinking that now was as good a time as any to get the notches for the last of the Red Fleet he had killed.
He opened the door and it gave a small jingle as he did. Inside was small; only a little waiting bench in front then behind the counter was the chair. The walls were plastered with various artwork ranging from Highly detailed dragons to various tips of lettering. Lance stood at the fount counter until a little old man came out from the back room. His hair was completely white and he was covered with tattoos. Seemingly every inch of his skin, or at least what was visible as e wore a shirt and faded blue jeans, was covered in ink.
"How can I help, ya" The old tattoo artist spoke.
"Hi" said Lance, still dealing with the fact that there was a tattoo parlor on Restoria " I wanted to get a tattoo"
The little old mans face exploded into a full on grin " Well thats good, because its the only thing i sell here, didn't ya see the sign out side?" Lance had to laugh at the mans humor
" I can't believe Restoria has a tattoo parlor, sir, I'm a little taken back"
" Don't bother with the sir, Glenn will do just fine." Glenn took a handkerchief from his back pocket and blew his noes once, then twice, before continuing " Yup, ever since business has slowed down, Restoria has been catering to vacationers as well as people in need of treatment, which is fine by me cause now I have full time work" Glenn cackled in Victory then said " So, what you be needing'"
Lance rolled up his sleeve and revealed his tattoo, with the notches that ran almost all the way down his arm. Lance wasn't sure if Glenn knew what they were, but he suspected he did because his face tightened up a bit while his eyes traced down Lances tattoo.Tattos like the one lance had often times represented "Number of Kills", but Lance did not look the part of a killer so he could understand Glenn's expression.
" I need 14 more of these" Said Lance pointing to the little black marks.
" Alrighty then," Said Glenn, obviously only concerned with making some money " Have a seat and we'll start right away.' and with that Glenn vanished to the back room to get the supplies he would need.
