Scary Solar System Exile Side Story (Earlier access) (Patreon)

Maxiz knew 3 days in this tin can would be torturous, but not nearly as torturous as whatever the hell was going to happen to her when she arrived back on Mars. She passed the time by complaining, in fact-- she complained so much that a few times during the first day Exile had to turn on the sound dampeners within her containment 'jar' just to silence her squeaky rambling.

Exile was quite pleased with himself, finally capturing the little 'brat' as him and his crew started calling her, despite her age. Spending the next 3 days traveling from Luna to Mars with her in tow would be slightly trying on his patience, he thought; but he'd still sleep fine at night knowing the job was basically over. A good night's rest didn't weaken the blow of the news he'd receive the next morning, however.

Gravel, Exile's second and command, informed the Enforcer that they'd have to detour from the typical straight shot from Luna to Mars and it'd cost them an extra day. This of course disappointed the Dracaurian, but he wasn't entirely surprised. Currently Solar Patrols announced a week or so back that there was indeed an increase in hijackings by pirates and tus were closing off entire quadrants in order to bottleneck the problem.

Exile approved the new route begrudgingly and found himself in the detainee's quarters, passing the time by doing a basic equipment check. Such checks kept the Enforcer's official inspection rates low, so he did try to make sure everything was in tip top shape all the time. 

"Pst... lizardboy" Maxiz' squeaky, almost chipmunk like voice rang out from his containment 'jar'. "What is it, prey" Exile asked, his terminology deliberate, knowing that referring to his catch as anything but a simple prize would eat away at their ego. Exile's response did just that, irritate Maxiz-- which was more than satisfying for the Dracaurian as the tiny thief had run him on a wild goose chase across the solar system. It felt like a nice little payback for the trouble Maxiz had put the Enforcer through.

Clearing her little throat-- as if to summon up some authority in the situation, Maxiz took out her frustration on Exile by simply asking a condescending question. "What's it like being a puppet" she tried to ask in the most passive aggressive tone she could muster. 

Exile didn't answer and the sociopathic mindset that Maxiz had forced herself into over the years started to stir and swirl about like a dark storm looming over the horizon. "What's it like ruining people's lives for money" Maxiz asked, this time louder than last question. Exile turned to face the miniature female in her tiny containment jar, "I don't know... maybe you should ask yourself that question".

Maxiz laughed out loud, her full lips snapping together at the end of the chuckle in a slight sneer. "Oh puh-leaze, I've never stolen from anyone who didn't have too much to begin with," she answered. "Is that so" Exile returned, now focusing his full attention on the miniscule thief. "Yeah that is so. These people out there, they live like kings and others live like beggars. You can't tell me that ain't right" Maxiz' voice reflected how much she had convinced herself of this ideology.

"And if they worked hard for what they own?" Exile's own voice was calm, collected as always. "I work hard too" Maxiz countered, but Exile was a fast wit "you work hard so you don't have to work". Those words cut through Maxiz, but years of reinforcing her own bad behavior helped her with a timely reply. "You think I just go around taking from people who can't replace everything I stole" she shouted, her accent coming out in thick waves that flowed among the words. 

"That's your problem, you assume because they can replace it, that it doesn't really have any value to them in the first place. You can't conceptualize the idea of sentimental value when you're taking something, only monetary. Of course, all in all, it is just material goods, things, 'loot' or whatever you want to call it. Its the experiences, the moments those people had acquiring those things that are important. You take those moments from them because you're too afraid to make your own".

Exile's lecture was on point and threatened to morph into a monologue before he stopped himself at 'your own'. Maxiz took a breath, which heaved her sizable breasts slightly "I get it, mr lizard, ya don't like thieves". "On the contrary-- I hate thieves. The worst kinds of people are thieves..." Exile informed the tiny human without missing a beat. "Hah, so I'm guessin' you think I'm worse than a rapist or a murderer, huh" Maxiz chuckled at the words coming from her own mouth and the absurdity at what Exile had purposed. 

"Thieves take what does not belong to them, be it objects, lives, or sex" there was an undeniable truth in what Exile was saying and Maxiz couldn't counter it, it shook her hard and se found herself panicking a little. She had never thought about the implications and they whipped about her mind like a cheap kite in the wind. "What about you, you're stealing my freedom" Maxiz returned, visibly unnerved and upset at being compared to rapists and murderers. 

"Your freedom became forfeit because of the choices you made" Exile, still calm, sat down in a steel chair and opened a thermos attached to his belt. "You're assuming I had a choice, you think growing up in the slums on Mars is some bastion of hope and opportunities" Maxiz started to go on a tirade but was stopped by Exile. "I'm descendant from Dracaurian pilgrims, I know a thing or two about suffering".

"Oh please, you work for the government and for rich people with more money than brains" Maxiz' tone was mean spirited. "It was these 'rich' people you hate so much that saved my life as a Shedling" Exile took a slow sip from his thermos. "Oh yeah, you mean they took you in like some kind of pet to gawk at" Maxiz' shaky voice rang out loud and harsh, needle pointed and ready to harm.

Exile closed his thermos and stood up, looming over the jar like containment and narrowed his eyes, reptilian hands grasping the tops of it, pressing into it with ferocious pressure that seemed to shake the jar. "It was poor Dracaurians that hung my parents and justified it with the same have-and have-not bullshit you're spewing", Exile's somewhat ageless voice now gravely and fevered. The force he was exerting upon Maxiz sent her flopping down onto her little bottom.

"Oh shit... you..you aint one of" Maxiz' resolve was once again weakened by the implications as she stared up at Exile's monstrous maw. "Yes, I was born during the pilgrimage, raised as a Shedling on the very ship my ancestors built and paid for and then watched the poor, weak minded Dracaurians that my family had volunteered their wealth to help-- turn on them when resources went low. By the time we made it into your solar system, they had executed most of my family, because of their wealth. I watched their last moments, I watched them load my brothers and sisters into jettison pods-- to shoot them into space, alone and frightened where they'd suffocate when the air ran out. They were so blinded by their hatred that they had no problem stuffing me into one of those pods and launching me into the void. It was a group of mercenaries, human mercenaries that found me barely alive..." Exile's slitted pupils began to expand into a rounder shape as he calmed down.

Reliving that exact moment always gave the Dracaurian anguish.

"The human family that took me in as a Shedling are the same kinds of people you'd call 'rich'" Exile took a slow breath through his fangs. "They lobbied for my citizenship, to intergrate Dracaurians into human society. They paid for the investigations that lead to the arrest of the leaders of that same mutiny that killed everyone I loved. They loved me, more than my own people did" Exile sat back down at the end of his rant and picked his thermos backup.

"I get it... alright..." Maxiz, having sat through the entire thing was now visibly ashamed. "You got to understand where I'm coming from... I know stealing aint right... but its all I have, it's all I'm good at". Exile cocked a brow at Maxiz, who's tone had became shakier, wobbly like a child about to cry. "I starved for too long, my parents were shit. I can't help it I'm the way I am... and I'm paying for it, alright" she was sobbing now, tears were not something that even came natural to Maxiz. 

"I can respect that" Exile's voice was low "and you understand the ramifications of your actions". Maxiz nodded, wiping her nose a little. "I'm gonna pay okay, but you don't get it. Lucanna is crazy-- there's a reason I left. She wanted me, all of me. When I got out while the going was good, she freaked. She thought I was her property or something. I wasn't about to live that life... this whole thing is cuz she's madly in love with me and that's a hard emphasis on MAD". 

Exile finished the contents of his thermus in one long gulp then reached for his mouthplate. "Understand this" he attached the plate, took a deep breath, then continued "as an Enforcer, if I feel the punishment does not match the crime-- well then I'll intervene" and with those words he could see Maxiz start to perk up. "It's my job" Exile informed the small human.

"You stole a lot of things from Lucanna and you'll have to serve your time for it, one way or another. I will not accept cruel and unusual punishment, I am ethically obliged to take action if I see such..." Exile continued.

Maxiz stared down for a moment, swimming in her new emotions. "I get that..." she whispered. "You can go back to what you were doing..." she gave in, curling up in the corner of her jar. "I think I'm going to try to sleep..." she squeaked, emotionally exhausted. 

Exile went back to his inspection, not even giving the previous conversation a second thought.