We landed some hours after that, not another word having passed between us.

The atmosphere of Hibbus 9 was yellow-brown and thick, like diving into a smoker's lungs. I imagined I could smell the dense, sulfer-laden air through the portal window, though that was impossible. The meager light cast by Hibbus' singular red sun was dim and hardly worth mentioning; it was like being locked in a room that perpetually needed on more lamp. The shuttle glided through the heavy air, guided completely by radar, until it finally came to land with a grating jolt. I bounced and hit my head on the wall.

"Ouch!" I yelped.

My companion remained silent. I'm unashamed to admit I had spent most of the journey glowering at him, then finally studying him. His manner of dress was unfamiliar to me -- sure, the pants were of a typical "space pilot" material, thick and water resistant, and his shirt was plain and black... but the rest of him was swathed in what could only be described as a heavy brown cloak, the hood bulking around his shoulders as the rest pooled along the seat. Even his wrist guards, which I had at first taken for bracelets, were less than normal -- they were metal, but a strange kind of shifting material, as though formed out of pure quicksilver. Strange symbols adorned his clothing that I didn't recognize, which was unusual, since I had been instructed on most of the languages of the nearby systems.

Perhaps he wasn't locked to the wall, but his hands were shackled together, and he didn't make a move as the cell door slid open. Air rushed into the room, bringing with it the recycled flavor of the ship's main cabin along with a decidedly unpleasant stench. I wrinkled my nose -- it was like someone had left a trashcan open and rotting in the sun.

The soldiers didn't speak to us, and I refused to say anything to them. Instead I was unlocked from the wall, my chains connected to those of my partner, and we were marched from the cell. He was ahead of me and a good half-foot taller, so it was hard to see around him, but soon I didn't have the strain. We were led through the shuttle and the outer doors opened; the air that met us almost brought me to my knees.

Eyes stinging, breathing as shallowly as possible, I set foot on the dank earth of Hibbus 9. The planet smelled like... like baby poo mixed with rotted food and old milk. It was all I could do not to empty my stomach right there.

The soldiers were actually still wearing their helmets, and now I understood why. I staggered at the force of the smell, and one of them prodded me with the butt of his gun, pushing me forward. I shot him a glare over my shoulder and raised my head, forcing myself to walk upright. I would not be treated like an animal... even if I smelled like one.

The walk was a short one, thank God. A few minutes later we entered a hunched metallic building that was surrounded by low, shrub-like trees, the only kind of vegetation that seemed to exist on the planet. The smell was much less harsh indoors, though it seemed impossible to get rid of completely.

"Ah, some new additions to our collection, I see?" a voice immediately spoke up to our left. The inside of the building emulated a secretary's office almost perfectly, except for the laser bars that covered the doorways and ceilings. Five seconds inside the structure and already I had picked up at least three security probes, hovering like small metal balls in various corners. I couldn't scratch my nose without being reported on a dozen different screens.

I turned to face the man who stood there, surprised to find an older gentleman dressed in the silver colors of the Planetary Confederation, a long metal rod in one hand. His smile was wry and utterly cold as he said, "Welcome to Hibbus 9. I trust you will enjoy your stay... Miss Mann."

I raised my chin slightly, unsurprised that he knew my name. They'd probably been expecting my arrival for hours now. "You can shove the formalities where they belong, Lieutenant," I recognized the rank of the badge he had pinned to his uniform.

The man's smile didn't falter. "I'd watch your tongue, Miss Mann -- your stay here is to be the next forty years, and I can extend that for as long as I want."

I opened my mouth in anger, thought better of it, and let my jaw snap shut. I glared instead -- pissed off, yes, stupid, no. Forty years was a long time to wait for freedom... and I didn't see how I'd get out sooner, since escape was impossible. I wasn't about to make my situation worse.

The Lieutenant's eyes slid past me to my companion, who he seemed to take much more interest in, curiously enough. "Ah, and I didn't expect to see you back so soon, Mr. Black," he murmured.

My companion's smile was a familiar one -- slow and utterly insincere. "I couldn't resist the lovely scenery," he said, his voice a low, rocky baritone that scraped over the skin.

My ears perked at this -- back so soon? Meaning, he had been here before? I cast a sideways glance at him but couldn't tell where he was looking, his dark goggles were still on. I wondered why they hadn't forced him to remove them yet, but then again there were plenty of personal items I still carried that hadn't been removed, such as my piloting gloves and the locket around my neck. I didn't so much care about the gloves, but to lose the locket... well, it was the last I had of my parents.

"I can assure you that your stay will be much longer than the last one, my friend," the Lieutenant assured him, taking a few slow steps forward. He stopped when their noses were almost touching, and I didn't miss the tension in the air -- perhaps I wasn't privy to such confrontations, being a woman, but it was obvious what was going on. My friend, Mr. Black, smiled a little wider.

"Seems like the stench of this place is beginning to affect your breath, Lieutenant," he smirked. "I suppose you didn't get that transfer you were hoping for?"

Smack!

I jumped -- the Lieutenant's rod had slammed down on the desk next to us, so hard that it left a deep mark in the wood. My eyes returned to the older man, wide; he still appeared composed, but there was now a slight flush to his cheeks, the only evidence of his sudden outburst.

"That will be another ten years for you, my dear Mr. Black," he said staunchly. "Same for you, Miss Mann."

"What?" I gaped, disbelieving. "I didn't do anything!"

The Lieutenant didn't respond, the bastard! He just nodded curtly to the soldiers on either side of us. "You may take them away now... have them placed in Section 10."

"Section... wait, what's that?" I couldn't help but ask as I was rudely prodded forward. There was a security gate and then another door leading out of the compound; I could see a transport waiting for us outside. "Wait, dammit! Answer me!"

The Lieutenant only waved, his rod waggling in the air. "I do hope to see you soon, Ms. Mann," he called after us as we were yanked and forced through the security scanner; the green light traced over my clothes, allowing us to pass when it didn't detect any weapons. "But the odds of that are slim."

"Goddamn you, Lieutenant, I asked you a question-!" We were through the security gate and now exiting the building, being wrapped again in the harsh layer of atmosphere outside. I choked on my own words when the stench of the outer air hit me, then swallowed and turned to my silent companion. "You fucking bastard! I'll never forgive you for this -- I'm never going to get out of this place, and you just made it ten times worse!"

He continued walking, then stopped in front of me, waiting patiently as the transport lowered a ramp before us. The large land-based hover craft was almost as dirty as the air, but that didn't stop me from noticing the heavy duty locks on the doors, or the laser-proof windows. Miniature security probes hovered and darted about the air like gnats, tiny cameras so small they were impossible to see clearly.

"I don't believe this," I muttered, not sure which was worse -- being stuck on the same chain as this guy or being completely ignored by him. I was leader of the Shenron resistance; I was used to a lot of things, like being hated, hunted, or shot at... but definitely not being ignored!

We entered the transport a few moments later and were prodded into opposite-facing bucket seats. Our feet were firmly clamped down by a pair of rings attached to the floor. The transport took off in short time, and suddenly we were zooming across the Hibbus terrain, whizzing by brown mucky dirt and stubby dead plants. I glared at the man across from me, reminding myself of how much I hated him and why.

"Jerk," I muttered.

He raised an eyebrow and turned to look out the window. "Might as well make yourself comfortable," he spoke, his gravelly voice immediately catching my attention. He was humanoid, yes, but I was beginning to seriously doubt that he was from any of the surrounding systems... and he definitely wasn't Shenri. "Section 10 is a long trip South."

I sighed, willing to ask my question again. "What is Section 10?"

"The worst of the prison sections on Hibbus," he responded, and I got the distinct impression that he was looking sideways at me. "And with the tightest security."

I bit my lip until I tasted blood -- it was the only thing I could do, since killing him was impossible at the moment. The blood rushed to my ears though and for a moment I thought I might pass out, or explode, whichever came first.

"I'm never going to get off this fucking planet," I moaned under my breath.

He went back to looking out the window, obviously indifferent to my statement. I wished, just for a moment, that I knew what he was thinking -- how could a man be so calm in this situation?

Dammit, I didn't care, I didn't want anything to do with him. This was all his fault, anyway -- and an extra ten years at that! I seethed for a moment, then flopped back and took a deep breath.

Nothing to do now but wait.