Hours later, Ilion was somewhat rested and dressed in something a little less conspicuous.  The mask and hooded cloak were unnecessary unless he intended to do some law breaking, and he currently wasn’t being paid to do so.<br/><br/>«You should know that they’ve already set someone on you.»<br/><br/>“There’s always someone after me, Seraph.  No big deal,” the outlaw calmly stated, making sure he had a weapon and some currency.<br/><br/>«Really?  Well, then you’ll not be bothered to know that the gossip is that it’s Urudal Azolslag.»<br/><br/>A moment of panic.<br/><br/>There were all types in the vast universe, from the sick and depraved to the unbearably just.  Most fell right in the middle, much like Ilion himself.  He didn’t necessarily set out to cause death and destruction, but it did sometimes happen.  It was the job.  He’d made a reputation that spanned most of civilized space of being a force to contend with.  It was the same for Urudal, though he fought from the other side of the line.  He always got the job done, just like Ilion, even if that involved loss of life.<br/><br/>Ilion flashed a smile and shrugged.<br/><br/>“Still has to catch me.”<i>Though I guess I should still hurry.</i><br/><br/>Armed with that knowledge, Ilion hurried through the markets while his ship refueled.  He picked out enough food to last him at least the journey there and back, just in case he didn’t have time to stop anywhere else in the area.  Sidriel, his gorgeous ship, was fuel efficient enough to give him an advantage in that area, as well.  She could travel a lot farther than most other vessels without needing to stop.  If Urudal gave chase, they’d just have to tire his ship out and leave the idiot stranded somewhere in deep space.<br/><br/>Ilion returned shortly after Sidriel was ready to go.  Seraph seemed eager to be under way, so he gave his AI accomplice the okay to get them the hell out of there.  Some food was heated up and Ilion kicked back on the small and cozy secondary bridge.  He rarely used the main bridge, mostly because it was large and meant for several people.  It felt too empty.  Secondary only had one chair, as it had originally been intended for emergency situations.  It felt more natural to be there, where the room felt the right size for just himself and Seraph’s voice.<br/><br/>«You could always sell the ship and retire.»<br/><br/>“And do what?” Ilion chuckled.<br/><br/>«What do people do when they retire?  Rest?  Have fun?»<br/><br/>“I’d be bored within a week.  So would you.”<br/><br/>«I could learn more about life.  You said you had plans to find me a body.»<br/><br/>“Yeah… But I worry about that.  Putting you into something small and fragile?  It would be safer to stay in Sidriel.<br/><br/>«Yet you step outside all the time.»<br/><br/>“Okay, okay.  You have a point.”<br/><br/>Time passed.  Ilion did some reading, looked for more work to take on after he finished delivering the gem he’d stolen, then worked on his ship for a while.  There was always something to do, something that he felt could be tweaked.  Eventually he found himself back on the secondary bridge, passed out for a long nap in his chair.<br/><br/>He looked out the window as the light of a planet they were passing caught his eye.  It was beautiful, which probably meant it was uninhabited, or at least sparsely so.  Planets like that were usually either treacherous or had some kind of ban placed on them to prevent interference in primitive development.  He was wondering which it was when Seraph enlightened him.<br/><br/>«Krav’ikx.  It was the fought over at the turn of the century, causing great conflict that engulfed most of this star system.  There were massive casualties.  The two governing powers eventually came together and signed a treaty to leave Krav’ikx unoccupied as a show of good will on both sides so they could stop the fighting.  It’s rare that anyone comes out this far, other than to pass by it, like we are.»<br/><br/>“That’s a shame.  It’s beautiful.  I bet it looks wild and exotic from the ground.”