## 1
The first punch knocked Van off his feet and hollering. He rolled to dodge the second and had his pistol prepped before he was on his feet. Chandra saw the glint of metal and froze. Even in self-defense, even with all of Van's boasting, that gun terrified her. 
A second group of men surrounded Chandra within an instant. They were armed with knives. She dropped to the ground and prayed outloud for protection and forgiveness, so loudly and so intensely she missed the next few critical seconds. 
Gunshots fired, and a tall, thin figure appeared from nowhere to behead the man who was closing in on Chandra. She looked up and Van was scanning the surroundings and overhanging trees. To her side, deeply lacerated thugs lay at the feet of a manila figure.
"You saved me."
She realized she was thanking the air.
"Where-?"
"I—did?"
"No, that man. He saved me. Cut down these people who attacked me."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes! I'm fine. He got rid of all of them before disappearing into the night like that."
"Thank God for angels. Please stay close and quiet."
Chandra took a section of Van's tunic in her hand and followed him closely, preoccupied all the while by the mysterious hero. She liked Van's description of him - an angel. Dark, beautiful, mysterious, invisible, good. Her guardian.
The sun never rises here, and there are few places safe to land, making this former prison planet a dangerous part of the pilgrimmage. Although prisoners are no longer sent here, the children and grandchildren of the most dangerous criminals in history linger here, preying on pilgrims and lost voyagers. With the rampant crime and decline of the Church, no one is willing to reform the planet and install basic infrastructure. Therefore, reaching the shrine is a half-a-day's journey from the landing site of ambushes and danger.
After staying low and listening for strangers, Van pushed onward, gun ready to shoot. He had made this pilgrimmage twice before, and he knows the way well enough, even in the anonymizing darkness. Just another quarter mile and they will arrive. 
***
"Hello, traveller -"
The tall, manilla man stood in the field, motionless. Van and Chandra approached, intrigued by his presence in this secret place. The nearer they drew, the more clearly Chandra could see his long, handsome features. She immediately recognized her rescuer in his cool demeanor. As he turned toward them, relinquishing interest in his notebook, Chandra saw the spiny protrusions, smooth, brown, and venomous. She realized a second thing about him:
"--he's not human."
Van gave her an extinguishing side eye before studying the figure. His garb is worn leather, clearly the scars of battle. His face is solemn and honest, and he stands barefoot in accordance with the holiness of the site. He relaxed a degree, less convinced he had encountered a looter or bandit. He might even be able to help them.
The figure glanced over Van, aware of the pistol at his hip, and studied Chandra closely. 
"Prophetess?"
"Y-yes?" Chandra straightened up. The first time she heard his voice and the first time she spoke to him.
They held eye contact briefly, but Chandra could learn nothing from his unwavering almond-shaped eyes. The rush-colored cheeks, thin brown lips, interesting thorns and barbs, the sandy hair...she felt uncomfortable meeting the eye of such an exotic individual. His clothes were made of foreign leathers and suedes, dyed in natural shades. She stammered.
"We are on a Pilgrimmage. Are you here to honor Saint Rigel, Brother?"
"Yes," he returned his notebook to his pocket. "But I must be on my way. Be safe on your journey, Prophetess."
"Yes-s," Chandra parroted. "You, too."
He held contact with her before sharply breaking it and disappearing into the wilderness. 
Van looked at Chandra quizzically. 
"Interesting fellow. Not many take the pilgrimmage who aren't directly employed by the Church. There are still clingers-onto the faith, but they are few and easily intimidated by the danger and cost of the route. And he apparently takes it alone."
Chandra half-listened, a little bothered by the memory of his dark, clear eyes and smooth voice.
"What are you getting at, Van?"
"Nothing, girl," he yawned and motioned forward. "It's been a long day. Let's go ahead and pray."
***
/* Yuna dances, goes through puzzle shrines, gets a new aeon each time. Oblivion MC collects artifacts from each shrine and gains holiness and eventually can meet ghosts and become a divine crusader. What could be the special thing about each stop? *\
They reached the tablet reading out the summary of St. Rigel, who was exiled to this jungle prison planet for his faith but started a church while in prison that grew to rival the size of the prison itself. This spot marked where the first church meetings were held a secluded courtland. A ruthless criminal was sent to the planet and killed St. Rigel to prove he was tough. His congregation split, half willing to turn the other cheek, the other ready to war. The moral is to serve where you are.
Van read it aloud to Chandra, and the traveller corrected him.
"The moral is the fickleness of the faith of seeds scattered on hard ground. Nothing stayed here. It became a brutal world not long after, ruled by the strongest, wildest criminals. His work is nowhere to be seen. His church is dust, and his people are dead. Even the wardens have found a new planet for their prison colony, so even his detractors are gone and unable to provide a bad view of him. The Church placed this here to soften the public opinion on their moves to reform prison."
/* Space Israel controls the Catholic Church which is used to do evil things like pol's ideas about Jews and Israel and stuff. America exists, too. *\
Chandra blushed at his challenge on the Church's integrity, but Van replied even-toned.
"He never lost faith, even at his dying breath. He brought hope and reform under impossible circumstances. He didn't change the universe across time and space - he changed the people around him. He did everything that was asked of him. Regardless of who was using his memory at the time to leverage political power, he has remained a part of the pilgrimmage to inspire similar behavior in us today."
"Fair enough. Have you traveled far with just one guard?"
The question was directed at Chandra this time, his dark almond eyes given a mystic quality when illuminated by the votive light.
"Well, yes. Thank you for saving me before."
"It's too dangerous to rely on strangers. Please allow me to join you."
"--Join?"
Chandra looked to Van who seemed to be in agreement with the figure.
"I'm Van and this is Chandra. What's your name?" He asked as he extended his hand to shake.
"Colt," he replied, bowing slightly. Van retracted his hand awkwardly.
"We receive a meager stipend from the Church for carrying out its duties, but we are mostly mercenaries, carrying out small tasks for locals to scrape by. We have a modest lifestyle. We just began our once-every-seven-years pilgrimmage and will be traveling all over the Solar System, spending little time at each stop. If you wish to join us, we'll gladly accept you. Of course you can leave whenever you like. But, I have to ask why you would join us."
"My conscious couldn't leave me alone if I let one man guard a prophetess. I have no one left to return to and nowhere left to go, so I'll let you determine my next journey.
/* Colt is a prisoner or a descendent, looking to escape. *\
/* Each stop is still in our solar system, but there are colonies on the different planets, moons, asteroids, comets, the sun, etc. Each body has its own diverse, rich culture. Power struggles, esp. religious. Different races' homeworlds and from neighboring stars. *\
"Welcome aboard, Colt."
Van telephoned his pilot to let them know approximately when and where to pick them up. "And we'll be bringing on a new member...Yes, the strangest places indeed...Just be ready when we are...Yes, see you soon, thanks."
Although Van knew the way well, Colt was far better at stealth and shortcuts. They evaded enemies without alerting anyone to their presence, slipping through the brushes and tall grass with relative ease and mutual silence. When they reached the plains, Van took over and communicated the pickup with Faber. The ship dipped down, they stepped through the intermediary area, allowing for a cleansing ray, and stepped into the ship.
"Welcome to the Prodigal, Colt," Chandra smiled.
The doors opened from the cockpit, and a slightly overweight man with warm rusty hair hopped out.
"So, who am I meeting?"
"This is our pilot, Faber," Van introduced him. "He was my pilot during the Israeli-Martian war. He's top-notch and the sort of person to trust your life to."
"You are a veteran and have such terrible control of your pistol?"
"--a reporter, actually. And Chandra, I care for like a big brother. I took her in three years ago. Just as you said, she's a prophetess for the Intergalactic Jupiteran Catholic Church and works with women and children ministries. I support her best I can. We're a team," he smiled and patted Chandra on the back.
/* Runaway Catholic Princess? *\
"Faber, this is Colt. We were ambushed and separated on our way to the shrine, but Colt rescued me. Van called him an angel for what he did."
Faber cooed. "Is that so? Then anything you need, I'll do my best to help you. Chandra is precious to us."
Colt shook his head.
"Really, no praise. I'm a vagabond without a home. If you can give my life some purpose, that's thanks enough."
"Sounds a lot like Van and me, then. I don't know what we'd do without Chandra."
Colt looked down at little Chandra. She blushed and looked at her feet. 
"Stop it, you're all so embarrassing."
## 2
They settled onto the ship and showed Colt his chambers. 
"We were given this ship and were tasked to assemble a crew, so we have more rooms than we need right now," Van explained to Colt in the hallway while Chandra flushedly removed her baubles from the spare room. "I guess Chandra was using this one as a hideout." Chandra gave an embarrassed look over her shoulder as she finished clearing the room. "It's not dirty, just a little messy. She keeps her areas neat." Colt listened bemusedly, which made Chandra blush harder. Once her collection was removed, she disappeared. "Go ahead and check it out."
Van stepped in after Colt who was gazing over everything with appreciation.
"It's very nice. I haven't done anything, and you'll let me stay here? What must I do?"
"You saved her! If you promise to protect Chandra, that's enough to let you stay. You've met the whole crew. We're tiny and need your help. Chandra wakes up early to cook us breakfast and does most of the chores. Faber is able to repair most things that go wrong, either computers or engines. I do most of the mercenary work to help keep us afloat between stipends. I'd appreciate it if you help where your talents lie, but another guard for Chandra would be an immeasurable weight off my shoulders."
"You're so generous--! Of course I'll find where I'm useful. Thank you."
"If you need anything, ask me. I'm the commander, so as a member of my crew, you're my responsibility. Understand that?--Good. I'll let you have time to yourself and check on the others."
Van slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.