Yash and Ryo Lost in the Milky Way Read online

  Yash remembered to close his mouth and gulped. "You're here to arrest me for murder?" he asked with a shaky voice.

  "I need to talk to you," the commander answered. "I'm sure it was an accident. Although both your family and hers insist that you're a dangerous murderer."

  "Him? Pshaw!" Ryo scoffed. "He wouldn't hurt a fly! And that's why they abused him – and nobody took his side!"

  "Ypsiliantian society is a little screwed, much like Xi-kong," the policeman said, glaring at Ryo.

  "Oh, and what do you know about it?" Ryo challenged.

  "My mother is Xi-kongian and my father is Ypsilantian." That explained his slightly slanted eyes and exotic looks. "They connected on the meganet, ran away from their families and met on Alahairo, where they got married and lived happily ever after. I'm their only offspring." The commander looked at Yash again. "Listen, I know what you're going through. Although by Ypsilantian traditions you shouldn't have rebelled, I'm sure with a good lawyer you can have a lenient punishment. Will you tell me exactly what happened?"

  "I didn't want her to touch me," Yash whispered, eyes low. "She said now that she was pregnant, we'd get married. I didn't want to spend my life with her. But I didn't want to kill her either!" He stared at the cop, pleading now. "I shoved her away, but I didn't want her to die! I only wanted to get away from my family who was forcing me!"

  "I understand, Yash, calm down." Commander Suhail put both hands on Yash's shoulders with a soothing tone. "I told you, I totally understand you. You will have to come with me. I'll find you a good lawyer before handing you to the Ypsilantian courts, I promise."

  "We don't need no lawyer!" Ryo punched the policeman in the face and grabbed Yash's wrist. "Run, Yash!"

  Startled, Yash sprinted after Ryo without turning back. They ran to the spaceport – again with only the uniform of security on them. Ryo would have to stop using his account or they should split, but Yash was terrified at the thought of being alone with the Galaxy Police coming after him.

  "What now? What now?" he asked, slightly panting, his eyes darting around.

  "There's the rental starships!" Ryo pointed at a batch of Futureo-class Foxes that looked much like Birgit's.

  They didn't have time to properly rent one. Seeing a businessman heading for one of the ships, Ryo put the company gun on "stun" and shot him. He took the access card from the man's limp fingers and checked which ship it opened.

  Breathless, Yash followed him inside where they sat at the dashboard.

  "I can't drive a starship!" Yash protested as Ryo fumbled with buttons and the navigation computer. "Can you?"

  "I've watched Birgit," Ryo replied as the engines started. "If everybody else can do it, so can we. We're not stupid, are we?" He grinned at Yash who stared at him wide-eyed. "Let's go."

  As they took off they saw Commander Suhail reach the spaceport with a bruise already showing on his face.

  "Who-hoo!" Ryo shouted as the starship left Alahairo's orbit.

  "Ryo, what have we done?" Yash wondered, biting his nails.

  "Saved your ass, babe." Ryo winked. "I guess we'll have to stay on Friport from now on. At least the Galaxy Police has no power in there..."

  "But how? How will we get there?" Yash asked, anguished.

  "Check that goddamn computer. We need to set a course anyway."

  Yash frowned, but obeyed.

  "Someone is following us," he announced as a screen showed a blipping light entering their radar range.

  "I bet it's that damn half-blood cop," Ryo muttered. He seemed to enjoy the pilot seat very much. "Did you locate Friport or not?"

  "Not yet," Yash snapped. "The computer is searching. It's probably on the other side of the galaxy, we'll never make it!"

  "Please, enough negative thoughts!" Ryo snorted. "I could take you to Xi-kong, it's safe for you."

  "But not for you!"

  Ryo shrugged. "I can take care of myself."

  Yash glared at him. Ryo was implying he couldn't take care of himself. And Ryo was damn right. Yash wanted to scream.

  The comm lit up with a communication request.

  "Don't take it," Ryo warned, but Yash pursed his lips, then took it.

  The face of Commander Suhail filled the little comm screen. "Yash, don't make things worse. You have nowhere to hide."

  "We're going back to Friport! We should have stayed there!" Ryo said defiantly. Even if he was off camera, he knew the cop could hear him.

  "You're going the wrong way," the policeman said patiently. "You're headed out of the galaxy."

  Puzzled, Yash looked at Ryo who shrugged. "I just learned to pilot, I'm going straight ahead until you tell me where I'm supposed to go. You're sitting at the navigator computer, Yash, don't look at me like that!"

  Yash sighed and glanced at the computer still searching for Friport's location. He hadn't really paid attention to how Birgit worked the starship's dashboard and had no idea of what to do.

  "Turn around before it's too late," Commander Suhail said quietly. "I told you, I'll do my best to let you have an excellent lawyer to deal with Ypsilantian law. And a doctor to check your PTSD – I'm sure you have that too."

  "Yikes." Ryo shivered. "I've had those medical examinations – for my homosexuality – you don't want that, Yash. My people think mine is a sickness than can be cured. Your people think you should do your manly duty and shut up – they don't give a shit if you've been raped. Don't go back. There's nothing to go back to."

  "There's even less ahead," the policeman warned through the comm. "Outside of the galaxy there's the great unknown. What happens when you finish your fuel or your air or if you're hit by a meteorite or your shields go down? There are no repair stations where you're headed, guys."

  "At least we'll die free," Ryo whispered, staring intensely at Yash. "Do you really want to go through a murder trial and come out as rape victim? They'd never believe you. Everybody thinks men can't be raped anyway."

  Yash was so tired of being afraid, of his anxiety attacks, of his unspoken fears... He closed his eyes, then looked at the comm screen again.

  "Let us go, commander," he begged.

  "I can't. Come back with me. We'll prove it was an accident, self-defense. That's what it was, wasn't it? Come on, Yash. There's nothing out there."

  A ribbon of stars and then emptiness. Yash stared at the main screen. It looked very dark. But he didn't mind getting lost in that darkness. It looked like a peaceful place. Where nobody would scold him or humiliate him or abuse him in any way.

  "Want me to stop?" Ryo asked, worried.

  "Keep going," he whispered.

  "There's no way back, Yash," Commander Suhail warned one more time, his voice a little less calm than before.

  "There was never any going back," Yash replied. "I knew when I left Ypsilanti that I'd never see it again – even though I thought Jamika was still alive then." He turned to look at Ryo. "You don't have to come with me, though," he said. "It's me they're after."

  "Are you kidding? And miss your delightful company for whatever is left of our lives?" Ryo smiled. "You won't get rid of me, pal. Wherever you go, I follow."

  "Thanks, pal." Yash squeezed Ryo's hand and stared back at the comm screen. "I'm sorry, commander. I appreciate your words, but really – I have nowhere to go back to. So I'll keep going onward, wherever that takes me."

  Commander Suhail shook his head and sighed. "Don't do it, Yash. It's yours and Ryo's certain death."

  "Murderers get the death penalty on Ypsilanti, commander," Yash replied sourly. "And no lawyer can beat two combined families against a poor young man. Doesn't matter if he's the victim, he killed a woman and will be killed in return."

  "Will you cut that comm?" Ryo asked. "Haven't you had enough of him?"

  Yash smiled against his will and signed off. Both stared at the stars in front of them in silence for a moment.

  "It seems so peaceful out here..." Yash sighed and finally relaxed. "I won't mind some quiet at last."


  "Don't tell me, you're an introvert." Ryo grinned. "As if I hadn't noticed before!" He squeezed Yash's wrist. "Hey, go check if we have some kind of food dispenser and what else is provided in our new moving home!"

  Yash got off his seat and went to explore the small starship. Not much for two, and it wouldn't last them years, but well... he really didn't care. Maybe he could manage to kill himself before it was really too late for Ryo to go back to civilization. But it was comforting not to be alone on his last trip.

  Part 2 – Stranded

  Ryo stared thoughtfully at the spiral of stars that was his home galaxy. Milky Way, someone called it. And it was receding in the background since the starship sensors showed the rear view on the main screen – mostly because in front of the starship there was nothing. The closest galaxy was still too far away to be on the radar.

  Yash came back to the cockpit after inspecting the stolen rental starship. "There is just one cabin with two bunk beds," he said flatly, sitting by the computer. "Not that we're going to need it for long..."

  Ryo sighed and turned to look at Yash's profile. His traveling companion was thoughtful but looked serene now that the hustle and bustle of the Star Nations had vanished. The radio silence was overwhelming for Ryo, though. They were out of transmission range, cut out of the meganet, offline – lost in space. On purpose.

  Ryo cleared his throat. "So! We're out in the great unknown!" he said cheerfully. "The cop gave up pursuit! We're free!"

  Yash's pale green eyes turned to look at him and his lips twitched in a repressed smile.

  Ryo admired once more the handsome young man by his side – barely three months younger than him but so much taller and well-built and... he should stop lusting after Yash.

  "Free to die a nasty death away from civilization," Yash said quietly. "You should have gone back."

  "You're not the only one who had it bad," Ryo chided. "I might not be wanted for murder by the Galaxy Police, but I did kill or maim people on behalf of my mighty father. And I was sick of it."

  Yash's handsome face frowned with worry. I shouldn't have reminded him why we're here, his mistake will haunt him forever, Ryo thought. Although forever might not be that long in outer space on a stolen rental starship with limited supplies.

  "You should have let the cop arrest me."

  "Since he found you because he followed me, I felt obliged to keep you alive. We should have split."

  "I wouldn't have made it on my own. They would have found me eventually."

  "Then why did you let me drag you away from him?"

  "I don't know," Yash grumbled, avoiding eye contact. "I think he let us go, though."

  "Probably. Never heard of a tender-hearted cop, but you never know. He sounded really concerned for you."

  "And you don't deserve to end up lost in space with me. We had just met – I'm a stranger to you."

  Ryo shrugged. "I grew up on a violent, patriarchal planet, Yash. My first boyfriend was killed by his relatives, and I might have ended up dead too if you and Birgit hadn't saved me."

  Yash smiled – a very sweet, shy smile that made Ryo's heart flutter.

  "You seemed to be doing fine against four."

  "Not really, Yash." He winced at the memory of the attempted gang-bang he'd escaped when they'd met on Xi-kong. "I mean, I was one and they were four and I didn't have a gun like Birgit to intimidate them..."

  The smile vanished and Yash averted his eyes. "We'll never be able to repay Birgit for saving us," he grumbled.

  Ryo sighed. That much was true. As they left the galaxy and the Star Nations behind, they wouldn't be able to thank one last time the woman who had taken them away from their respective home planets where neither would have survived into old age, albeit for different reasons.

  "Don't you think it's kind of romantic we die young and together?" Ryo asked. "Both rejected or abused by our families and forced into permanent exile – or an early death?"

  "Ryo..." Yash chided, hiding a smile.

  Ryo chuckled. "Come on, Yash! Don't you ever feel romantic?"

  "No, Ryo," Yash answered patiently. "I'm asexual and intimacy with anyone or any sexual approach gives me the creeps."

  "Oh." Stunned, Ryo went back to staring at the now empty screen. The sensors were now pointed to the unknown in front of them.

  He'd never considered the asexual spectrum of relationships. But it did make sense for Yash, considering the little things Ryo had learned about his traveling companion in the three weeks since he'd first met him. Yash being an introvert, it wasn't easy to make him talk about himself.

  He heard Yash gasp. "What's that?"

  Ryo snapped back to reality and looked at the computer that was emitting bleeping sounds, but Yash pointed wide-eyed at the main screen. A shadowy, ethereal silver spiral with a shivering, shining garnet center was quickly filling their horizon.

  Ryo leaned over the ship's computer, but there was no data available. Ryo muttered a curse under his breath. "Our trip was shorter than expected, I guess," he said, glancing at Yash's worried face.

  "Let's go back, Ryo," Yash said. "This is too much. I'll face the death penalty and..."

  "Can't," Ryo replied through clenched teeth. "Goddamn thing is sucking us in!" He wrestled with the controls of the starship, but it felt like struggling against the Galaxy Police's tractor beams. Except it wasn't a star-cruiser in front of them, but a strange thing that came closer at very high speed.

  A sinister clanging sound as the deep red garnet at the center of the spiral wrapped around them, then a translucent passage. The sensors were working at full capacity, but were unable to give a position or an answer to whatever was happening.

  "We haven't hit anything yet," Yash said with a shaky voice, his eyes riveted to the main screen.

  An eerie whirring sound, an imperceptibly metallic smell, and the sensors showed the starship had just been spat out by a golden vortex and into a starry sky where it slowly came to a stop. They'd been sucked through something and spat out somewhere else.

  "Is that a wormhole?" Yash asked. "Is that how it works?"

  "I have no idea," Ryo grumbled, checking the computer still working on the new data. "Space travel wasn't included in my studies. Seems like a portal of some kind. But I have no idea of where we are, unless our friendly onboard AI matches the surroundings with some known star map."

  "Try to reverse the course," Yash suggested. "Let's go back to wherever we came from."

  "Consider it done..." Except the golden spiral vanished in a cloud of stardust when they tried to enter it again. "Shit!" Ryo banged his fist on the dashboard. "Now we're truly screwed!"

  "Turn around again and let's see what that galaxy is," Yash suggested.

  Ryo obeyed and pointed the sensors to the closest cluster of stars. They both waited, trying to figure out themselves if there was any known constellation in sight.

  "We're in a galaxy all right," Yash said at last. "We might be able to find a terraformed world to live on."

  "Yes, but what if it's not a Humanoid planet? What if it's Reptilian?"

  Yash glanced at him and half-smiled. "I thought I was the depressed one. Where's your optimism, Ryo?"

  "I don't know, I wasn't expecting any of this!" Ryo replied, frustrated. "I mean, a portal? To where? Another dimension, another galaxy, where? I thought portals were just fiction! I should have talked with my father's ship captains, but I never thought I'd end up driving a spacecraft of any kind!"

  "Give our friendly AI some time," Yash said, leaning back in his chair. "We stole a starship and we don't even know how to drive it... although maybe not even an expert pilot would have been able to avoid that thing. It really felt as if it sucked us in."

  "But where in the universe are we now?" Ryo muttered.

  It was good they never panicked at the same time. On Alahairo, when the cop had tried to arrest Yash, Ryo had taken charge and dragged him away. Now it seemed Yash was more confident they'd be fine.

 
Except Ryo hated idle waiting. He snorted, toyed with his long black hair, fidgeted, glared at the stupid computer that was too slow for his tastes, then realized his impatience made Yash smile openly.

  "I'd be happy to be out of this cramped starship," Ryo said. "I mean, I hope we can find a world to land on and live happily ever after. That would be really awesome."

  And he'd been ready to die in the cramped starship with Yash – before the portal. He'd been headed for the big unknown with his travel companion, and now he worried he'd be stuck in a starship for eternity.

  True that it had been an impulse move – dragging Yash to safety, not heading out of the galaxy. Now that he had time to think about what they'd done, Ryo was wondering if it had been the right choice. Maybe he'd thought they could eventually turn around and hide somewhere.

  Although they'd chosen outer space because there was no going back for Yash. And no matter where they were, the starship wouldn't last forever – it had limited power and supplies, so no need to worry more than before.

  That was probably the reason why Yash was so calm. Before or after the portal there wasn't much they could do to control the situation.

  "We might not die yet," Yash said, staring straight ahead at the ribbon of stars. "It does look like a milky way, don't you think?"

  Ryo looked again. It did indeed. Almost the same as what they'd seen when they'd run away from Alahairo with the stolen starship.

  The computer finally managed to give answers. They were still in their galaxy. But things were different – there were no outposts and space stations where there were supposed to be. They seemed to be at the edge of the warped spiral of the galaxy, but the computer couldn't find any of the references it was supposed to find.

  "Stupid thing is damaged!" Ryo banged his fist on the dashboard.

  "Maybe not... Look at these star maps. They do match what we see," Yash said. "Well, mostly. I mean, what if it was really some kind of portal?"

  "Maybe a military experiment..." Ryo mused. "But wouldn't it take us to another galaxy?"