Bad Memories

Jax watched for a while longer, as the container he hid in was placed in the airlock. He saw various faces and races among the pirate crew, but none were that memorable.

After his container was put in the airlock, the scene shifted again, this time back to the black void he was in earlier. He felt much warmer now than compared to his first experience.

Again he waited, remembering Ivo's words about how he would see various things from his past or future.

Jax waited again for quite some time before the scene shifted again.

Again he floated above his body, just as he did during his memory of the cargo ship.

He was in a large field, with many people standing with him. Some had a blank stare, others had horrible grimaces, and others still wept. There they stood, all dressed in black, in front of a large rectangular cut stone.

His parent's funeral.

It had been almost 7 years now since he became an orphan. He still remembers the day of his parent's funeral, as though it had been just yesterday. He remembers feeling the warm sun on his face, and a cool breeze. The perfect weather for anything except a funeral.

Jax remembers wondering why the world was so peaceful and beautiful on such a sad day. How could it? Why did the world continue on so happily? Didn't it know that his parents were gone?

He regrets not shedding tears at the funeral, but nothing felt real at the time. How could it be for a boy who was only 14 years old? A boy who can only remember the last words he said before his parents set off to their death. Jax remembered the words he had said to them as they left their house for the last time.

"Uh huh, see you later"

He didn't say goodbye. He didn't say that he loved them.

It took quite some time for Jax to heal from this trauma. Growing into an adult helped, but it was still hard on some days.

And now Jax had to relive this memory again.

Although he wasn't standing on solid ground, Jax felt dizzy, as if he was about to fall. He looked at his younger self, and all the pain he had felt. Jax tried to remain calm, as he heard the preacher speak over the empty graves. His parents were victims of a brutal massacre at a nearby spaceport. There was nothing to bury, much like how there was nothing to scavenge from the spaceport following the attack.

He felt tears welling up as he watched his uncle come up to say a few words. Jax wasn't related to this uncle by blood, rather this was his father's best friend all the way from childhood. He helped Jax survive to adulthood and get through school. His uncle even helped him apply to various jobs, including Dong Exports.

Time passed, and people slowly left the funeral, until Jax's younger self was the only one left there. The boy could only stare in silence for what felt like an eternity. This scene was hard for Jax to watch, as tears began falling down his face.

"I'm sorry" the boy whispered. "It's all my fault, I should have stopped you from going. I'm sorry."

Jax broke. It had taken him years to learn that his parent's death wasn't his fault. Watching his past again, only made his heart ache more.

....

Time passed, and Jax was swiftly taken back to the black void from before. He spent the time before his next vision to calm down, and recover from what he had seen. If he were any younger and not as mentally stable as he is now, those memories would have sent him into a downward spiral.

Recovering from the memories, Jax was brought to a new scene in a blur. This time he was floating in space. Not the black void, but in actual space. There were ships engaged in a heated battle, with countless fighters and interceptors dashing between massive capital flagships. Boarding vessels could be seen attempting to get close. The silent battle raged on, all above a desolate gray planet.

Jax couldn't find his body anywhere, as it was so difficult to follow along with the hundreds of ships flying around. This wasn't any memory Jax had, making him all the more confused about what was going on.

Suddenly, something in the center of the battlefield caught his eye. A man stood floating in the air, unfazed by the chaotic battle around him. He had a wide chest, with clearly muscular features, shown off by a suit that exposed his arms from the shoulders down. He had a hood drawn far over his face, obscuring any notable features.

And one other thing. He was staring directly at Jax.

Not where Jax's body might be, but rather where Jax himself floated throughout this vision.

The gaze of this man sent shivers down Jax's spine. The man's actual eyes were hidden, but even so, Jax could feel the intensity this man gave off with a single glance.

The man spoke suddenly, transmitting his voice directly to Jax, despite being in space.

"Don't blink Jax" the man said, with a sinister grin peeking out of his hood.

The man turned his back to Jax, before raising both arms. One towards each of the fleets in combat. Suddenly, a large beam shot out from each of the man's hands. The beams were colored a deep orange, teeming with energy as they shot towards the fleets, and each could almost be a hundred miles in diameter. These beams smashed into the fleet's shields, quickly shredding them apart, before destroying everything in its path. The man then crossed his arms, turning the beams towards the combatants in the center, reducing them to nothing but dust and ash. Behind these combatants was the gray planet, which now featured a massive fissure that stretched halfway around the world.

When everything settled, only the muscular man stood alone, with Jax watching in shock. Whoever this person was, there was only one certainty in Jax's mind.

"He's a monster"

The man turned again to Jax, giving a hearty laugh that made Jax's stomach turn.

"See you soon Jax," the man said.

Quickly the scene turned again, back to the black void.

Jax could feel beads of sweat running down his back. These were just visions, right? Then how did that guy see him?

Whatever seemed to be the case, another thought came to Jax's mind suddenly.

"I don't know who he is, but he sure seems to know me" Jax muttered.

No matter if this scene happened in the past, the present, or the future, this man was obviously looking for Jax, and was extremely dangerous.