ã€ŠMousetrap: A Star Wars Storyã€‹


 Little Thief

    [Past]

    The Sun stood high in the sky above Ventano. Its light brought life to the abundance of farms that dotted the landscape. The fields of crops rose up, soaking in the light and warmth as the shadows around them slowly crept away. The sun was always bright on Ventano. There was nowhere one could hide from it.

    In the center of the largest stretch of grassland stood a small town, a testament to all the progress that the tiny planet had made in recent years. The buildings were small, and the roads were made of dirt, but it was the biggest city that the planet had ever seen.

    The dirt streets were bustling with activity. Humans in cheap clothing traveled to and from the various jobs required to keep the city afloat. Some would stop to talk and greet their neighbors, while others would simply walk onward with their head down, already wishing the day was over. Everyone was too busy to notice a twelve year-old girl weaving through the streets.

    Nicoash knew these streets well. She had been navigating them for years, even before her father would let her pilot the speeder by herself. She snaked her way through the crowd, ducking under extended arms and squeezing through tight gaps between people. As she walked, she stealthily reached into pockets and bags. Her slender hands and quick reflexes made it easy to go unnoticed.

    As she reached the end of the busiest street in the town, she turned around to watch as people continued walking down their familiar paths, completely unaware. She opened her hand, admiring her handiwork. She closed her fingers around the credits again and skipped off down a nearby alley where a suspicious-looking man stood.

    ¡°I did even better this time,¡± Nicoash chirped as she opened her hand to show him the credits.

    The man scratched his beard as he grinned at Nicoash. Nicoash had met Vynn only a few days ago when he stopped on the planet to refuel and repair. He stood tall above Nico with greasy black black hair that he pushed out of his face as he extended his hand for the credits. After Nicoash dropped them in his hand, he took a moment to count them. ¡°Nice work. You¡¯re getting good at this, kid.¡± He grabbed the toothpick that he had been holding with his yellowing teeth and flicked it aside.

    ¡°It¡¯s easy honestly.¡± Nicoash swayed her head around as she kicked one leg out, taking an exaggerated step toward him. ¡°No one is even paying attention.¡±

    ¡°Just like I told you,¡± he said as he reached forward with his free hand to ruffle Nicoash¡¯s fluffy, unruly head of hair. Her hair threatened to swallow his entire hand if he wasn¡¯t careful. ¡°Everyone is too focused on what is going on in front of them to think about what might be going on behind them.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ how much more do we need?¡± Nicoash tilted her head as she watched him pocket the credits she had given him.

    ¡°Hm?¡± He raised an eyebrow at her, only half focused on her words. Her accent and her difficulties with basic required him to take a moment longer to comprehend her. ¡°How much do we need for what?¡±

    ¡°You know¡­ to get out of here!¡± Nicoash smiled at him brightly. Seeing the confused look on his face encouraged her to continue explaining. ¡°Once we get enough credits, we can leave Ventano! You can take me on your starship so I can see the galaxy.¡±

    The man pursed his lips as he looked at her. He was silent for a moment, but this time it wasn¡¯t because of his difficulties understanding. Eventually, he nodded and flashed her a fake smile. ¡°Right, of course. You and me against the galaxy.¡± He looked up again, seeing a quick flash of light reflecting off the finger of a man with more intricate clothing as he passed by the alley followed closely by a handful of lackeys. A real grin rose on his face as he motioned for Nicoash to follow him. ¡°We¡¯ve almost got what we need.¡± He turned to her briefly as he raised a finger. ¡°Just one more mark.¡±

    Nicoash followed him closely, looking up at him instead of where they were walking. She hung on his every word, waiting with baited breath on what wisdom he would bestow upon her next. ¡°Just a little more? Do you want me to do another loop?¡±

    He shook his head as he pulled her around the corner of the alley and in front of him. He then rested his hands on her shoulders as he bent down behind her. He pointed at the man and his lackeys. ¡°See that?¡±

    ¡°The pirates?¡± Nicoash cocked her head to the side in confusion. Everyone knew about Vesho and his gang of pirates those days. They were a constant annoyance to all farmers in the area, and they caused trouble wherever they went. No one could ever effectively stand up to them, however.

    ¡°Right, right, but look at his finger. See that ring?¡±

    Nicoash squinted as she looked at his hand. She nodded. ¡°Yeah, I see it.¡±

    ¡°That thing is worth thousands of credits at least. Maybe tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? If you steal that ring, we¡¯ll be set for months, maybe even years! Then, we¡¯ll fly away from here just like you wanted, right?¡± He looked down at Nicoash and gave her a sly grin.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Nicoash pursed her lips before nodding. ¡°Alright, that makes sense. So¡­ how do I steal it?¡±

    Vynn shrugged as he stood up, giving her a quick pat on the shoulders. ¡°Easy, same way you steal everything else. Just grab it.¡± He then pushed her forward. ¡°Go on, I¡¯ll be here waiting for you when you get it.¡± He gave her a thumbs up when she looked back at him nervously. ¡°You¡¯ve got this. Show me what you¡¯re made of, kid.¡±

    Nicoash nodded slowly and took a deep breath. She turned and quickly made her way over to the group of pirates. She slowed down as she reached them, looking around them for an opening. The pirates were lost in conversation with each other. Nicoash wasn¡¯t listening to the specifics, but she could tell they were causing trouble with the merchant in front of them. Vesho¡¯s big booming laugh made her almost jump out of her boots. She looked up at him to make sure he wasn¡¯t watching before continuing to inch forward. She reached up carefully, clasping the ring between her fingers. As she started to lower it, he immediately took notice and started to turn around. As he did, Nicoash panicked and just ripped the ring off the rest of the way, hopping backwards when it was in her hand.

    ¡°Hey, kid! What the kriff do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± He looked down at his now ringless finger. ¡°Little thief! Give that back!¡±

    Nicoash shook her head as she took a few steps backward. Then, she turned on her heel and started running.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Catch that kid!¡± Vesho¡¯s yell cut through all of the noise surrounding them, causing even the passersby to look at him in confusion.

    Nicoash ran as fast as she could, forcing her way through the crowd. She could hear the pirates running after her, but she couldn¡¯t let herself get caught. This ring was her ticket out of there. She ran over to a crate and climbed up on it so that she could search the crowd. As she looked at where Vynn once stood waiting on her, she realized that he was gone. She squinted, scanning the crowd to try and find him. Further down the road, she saw greasy black hair quickly walking off. She turned to look behind her and saw the pirates quickly closing in on her. There was no time to confirm it.

    Nicoash jumped off the crate and ran into the crowd again. She pushed people out of the way and bumped through to make little openings for herself, hoping to keep those pirates far behind. She jumped up to try and see again, but Vynn was nowhere to be seen this time. ¡°Fratz,¡± she yelped as she turned and pushed her way out of the crowd.

    She ran into a nearby alleyway and started running through it. She turned around briefly to see that the pirates were still close behind her. She let out a panicked yelp before turning and continuing down the alleyway. She dived through the first opening she saw to run through a couple of buildings. She leaped over a set of stairs and sprinted out into a smaller road that was less busy.

    Nicoash turned back and forth quickly to try and find Vynn, but he was still nowhere to be found. She turned to look down the alley again, seeing one of the pirates quickly closing in on her. She groaned and rolled her eyes before breaking out into a sprint again. She jumped through stalls and pushed her way around people, making a mess behind her to try and get the pirates off her trail.

    She rushed around the corner that led to Jarik¡¯s diner, but before she could reach it she ran directly into one of the pirates. The pirate grabbed her immediately, causing her to let out a shriek of panic. ¡°Give me that ring you little rat!¡±

    Nicoash kept struggling against him and shrieking, holding onto the ring tightly. She refused to give it up. ¡°Let me go! Let me go!!¡±

    Nicoash heard a set of footsteps calmly approaching the pirate from behind. ¡°Would you let the kid go?¡± Jarik let out an audible sigh. ¡°And Nicoash, calm down, would you?¡±

    ¡°Not until she gives me back that ring!¡± The pirate held onto Nicoash as tightly as she held onto that ring.

    Jarik rolled his eyes. ¡°Nicoash, give him the ring.¡±

    ¡°No! It¡¯s mine!¡± She struggled in an attempt to free herself.

    ¡°Just give him the kriffing ring,¡± Jarik shouted at her.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Nicoash yelled. As the pirate loosened his grip on her, she ripped away from him. She was tempted to run again, but Jarik had stepped forward now and was looking at her expectantly. She glanced around one last time, hoping Vynn would come out of the shadows to help her. He didn¡¯t. She pouted as she tossed the ring at the pirate.

    Jarik immediately waved the pirate off as he caught the ring. ¡°Now bring that back to Vesho. Leave her alone. Just a little kid playing games.¡±

    The pirate looked down at Nicoash for a moment as he thought about it. He eventually shrugged and nodded. ¡°Alright, whatever. But we better not catch you stealing from us again, got it?¡±

    Nicoash just rolled her eyes in response.

    Jarik turned to Nicoash with a disappointed look on his face as the pirate walked off. ¡°Now what was that all about? You stealing now?¡±

    Nicoash shrugged at him, planting her hands in her pockets.

    ¡°Your parents aren¡¯t going to be happy-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell them!¡± Nicoash immediately jerked forward and took her hands out of her pockets to plead with him. ¡°Please! I¡¯ll help you around the diner for a month!¡±

    Jarik chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Fine, fine. Just don¡¯t do it again, alright? Why¡¯d you even go for the ring anyway?¡±

    Nicoash shrugged as she reached up to scratch her head. ¡°I thought¡­ it would be worth a lot.¡±

    Jarik shook his head as he beckoned her toward his diner. ¡°Stealing a ring off someone¡¯s finger without them noticing is almost impossible. I wouldn¡¯t try it again.¡±

    Nicoash froze as he spoke. She blinked a few times before turning behind her in hopes of finding Vynn again. He still wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Impossible¡­¡± she repeated under her breath as her gaze lowered. She turned to follow Jarik inside, her body drooping more with each step.

 Runaway

    [Present]

    The flashing lights of the club were almost as blinding as the sun of Ventano. They pierced the thin fog that rose from the floor of the club, illuminating rhythmic movements of drunken patrons dancing to blaring music. The club was filled with humans and aliens alike from every corner of the galaxy who had, for some reason, found themselves on the grimy, crime-filled planet of Nar Shaddaa. Just like Nico.

    Nico sat at a bar in the farthest corner of the club. It was the best vantage point to watch the festivities that she could find, but she had to peer through the gaps between bodies in order to see anything clearly. Though Nico was nine years older than the budding thief on Ventano, she still looked much the same. She had grown a few inches taller, but she still had the same head of mousy curls and a similar style of clothes that was always just a bit too big for her. She leaned back and pursed her lips, tapping the table as she scanned around the club.

    Her gaze eventually found a lone woman at the bar who didn¡¯t seem to be enjoying herself nearly as much as those around her. She had straight blonde hair that was combed and styled perfectly, and her attire certainly seemed to be a bit too expensive for such a club. A grin slowly crept on Nico¡¯s face. She tapped the table a few more times before pushing herself off and walking toward the bar.

    She effortlessly weaved her way through the crowd. Most hardly even noticed she was there, especially those that were too drunk to care. On the way, she delicately plucked a few credits out of the pocket of a particularly drunk man. She walked right up to the bar next to the woman and tossed the credits onto it. ¡°Buy you a drink,¡± Nico asked, having to yell to make her voice heard over the music. Though her basic was much better than when she was a kid, she still wasn¡¯t able to shake that thick Ventano accent.

    The woman jerked her head toward Nico and looked her over a few times before rolling her eyes. ¡°No thank you.¡± Even over the music, Nico could make out the imperial accent. ¡°I¡¯ve already got one.¡±

    Nico grinned a little wider upon having her suspicions confirmed. She turned to the bartender and nodded. ¡°Juma juice, please.¡± She then turned her attention back to the woman. ¡°What brings you to a place like this?¡±

    ¡°What an idiotic question,¡± the woman retorted. ¡°Clearly I am here to enjoy myself.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you are,¡± Nico shot back with a grin. ¡°Sitting all alone drinking¡­¡± Nico peered over the woman to look at her drink. ¡°Is that wine? In a club?¡± As Nico dramatically inspected the woman¡¯s drink from above, her hand snaked its way behind her.

    ¡°Is that such a big problem,¡± the woman snapped at Nico. ¡°I like it. Look, I¡¯m just here to relax. And that would be much easier for me if you took the hint that I am not interested.¡±

    Nico rolled her eyes at her as she delicately pulled the woman¡¯s Imperial ID out of her pocket. ¡°Fine fine, have it your way!¡± Nico pocketed the ID herself before backing away from her. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re missing though, lady!¡±

    The woman scoffed and turned back to the bar, prompting a laugh from Nico. Nico turned around fully to make her way toward the exit, but she immediately bumped into a large weequay man.

    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going, schutta.¡± The man growled at Nico, subtly brandishing a vibroknife.

    Nico looked at him with wide eyes, taking an instinctive step back. She looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but everyone seemed too busy with their own merriment. ¡°Relax, it¡¯s my mistake.¡± She turned back to the man as she spoke. ¡°Listen, I just bought a cup of juma juice. It¡¯s sitting over there with your name on it.¡± She pointed back toward the bar with her thumb.

    The man grunted before nodding. ¡°S¡¯what I thought.¡± He then put his knife away before walking toward the bar.

    Nico relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. She quickly turned and kept walking toward the exit. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the ID card, taking a moment to inspect it under the flashing lights. She grinned and stuffed it back in her pocket, stepping out of the club and heading toward the nearest taxi.

    <hr>

    The door to Nico¡¯s old dingy apartment screeched open, letting light beam into the otherwise dim room. The apartment was tiny and only consisted of a small, gross looking mattress and a couple of boxes. Nico shuffled over to the mattress, picking up the bag that she had left on it. She walked over to the boxes and grabbed her slicing kit, stuffing it inside the bag as well. She turned and started to leave, but then a flashing red light caught her eye. She turned back to see her holocomm lying behind one of the boxes. She froze, knowing what the light meant. She screamed at herself internally to just leave it be. Instead, she slowly walked over and picked it up.

    It was a missed call, one she had likely gotten while she was at the club. She held the comm in her hand and brought it face level as she hit the button to start the recording. As Dezarin¡¯s face materialized from the holoprojector, Nico immediately winced.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°Kit there is a lot of chatter around the cartel right now. Especially about our crew. I¡¯ll be sorting through as much of it as I can, but I could use your help when you get back. Just keep your eyes open, and a blaster on you.¡±

    The communication cut to silence. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the sound of heavy breathing. Nico shook her head, preparing herself to leave. Then, the communication resumed.

    ¡°Everything from here on, will only be listenable to on your personal communicator. Things aren¡¯t looking great right now, Nico. The rest of the Cartel aren¡¯t happy with us sitting where we do. If you can¡¯t get home soon, let me know. If you can, I¡¯m going to make sure you and Osailra are okay beyond anything else. If my communications go dead in the next few weeks, you know what trails I¡¯ll leave better than anyone. Try to follow them. Keep safe until then, Little Mouse.¡±

    Dezarin¡¯s face disappeared, drowning the corner of the room in darkness once again. Nico shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Her thumb hovered over the button to return the call, feeling the smoothness of it against her skin. As her eyes opened again, she let her hand go limp and dropped the holocomm on the floor. She looked down at it for a moment longer before picking her foot up and stomping on it as hard as she could. The room lit up briefly as sparks flew out of the remains. Nico straightened the bag on her shoulder before exiting through the door that she came in. She walked through the crowded hallways of the apartment complex with little care for who she might bump into. Her brows were furrowed and her teeth were gritted. She knew where she was going.

    <hr>

    Nico took a deep breath and adjusted the bag on her shoulder as she watched the line of people going through the imperial checkpoint. She looked down at the ID that she had stolen from the imperial-looking woman in the cantina, her ticket off Nar Shaddaa. She gritted her teeth before looking up once again and jogging up to get in line. As she drew closer to the checkpoint one person at a time, she couldn¡¯t help but nervously glance at each of the guards. Imperials had always freaked her out. Big men in void-black armor who acted like murder droids. She clenched a fist, attempting to keep herself calm as she finally stepped up to the checkpoint. She tried her best to force a smile as she handed the stolen ID card to the guard in front of her. Maybe if she looked confident enough, they would let her continue based solely on the fact that she had an ID in her possession. The guard that Nico offered the ID to did just as she assumed, not bothering to give a glance at the ID while he slid it through a device that lit green. She was free.

    The larger imperial in the back let out a sharp bark. ¡°Hold.¡± He towered behind the shorter grunts that wore a darker set of Imperial armor. It was obvious that he was of a sort that was separate to these troops yet he held command above them. Nico heard loud, heavy footsteps as he approached. With his left hand, he snatched the ID from his lesser comrade, taking a moment to review it.

    Nico had a fleeting look of panic painted on her face before quickly covering it up with a look of annoyance. ¡°Is this really necessary? If I miss my shuttle my boss will have an absolute fit.¡± She feigned confidence decently well despite the circumstances. However, it was obvious that she was trying very hard to cover up an accent that was clearly not imperial.

    The towering man looked at her only briefly before turning to the grunts behind him to show them the ID. Immediately, they raised their rifles, pointing them directly at Nico. He turned around to face Nico again. ¡°Hands on your head. Now.¡±

    Nico¡¯s eyes darted back and forth between the big man and the grunts behind him. She started to slowly raise her hands in compliance as she looked around for any means of escape. Eventually, she sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Kriff it.¡± She quickly jerked backwards, pulling the person behind her in line forward and pushing him into the wall of a man. The innocent bystander simply bounced off his armor, but the confusion was enough to afford her a moment to run. Before the grunts could start firing, she had already ran backwards and hopped the railing.

    The big Imperial pushed the man off her before shouting to the grunts behind him. ¡°Lock it down! Take them all in!¡± He then turned and bolted forward in pursuit of Nico.

    Nico landed in a small alleyway just under the walkway that she was at before. As soon as she hit the ground, she started running as fast as she could. Soon after, she heard the loud bang of the largest Imperial¡¯s boots hitting the ground. She quickly dipped into another alleyway that intersected the one that she was in. She could hear the loud footsteps closing in on her, and they were fast.

    Nico jumped up and pushed off of one wall with her feet toward the other, repeating the process to give her enough height to make it to a ventilation shaft far above the ground. She grabbed onto the edge of it and reached into her bag, pulling out a security spike.

    The Imperial rounded the corner soon after, but Nico was nowhere to be found. He grunted as he scanned the area. He didn¡¯t even think to look up until he heard the sound of the shaft opening. He quickly jerked his head up, only seeing Nico¡¯s foot as she climbed into the shaft. He grunted again as he pressed a button on his helmet. ¡°I want a man stationed at every entrance to the western ventilation tunnels, now!¡±

    Nico paused for just a moment to catch her breath once she landed in the ventilation tunnel. Unlike the shafts around it, the tunnel was huge and filled with various fans to push air throughout the surrounding shafts. Luckily, the fans were all powered down for maintenance for the time being. Nico slapped herself on the cheek a few times and took a deep breath. With renewed vigor, she started sprinting again. Her footsteps echoed through the tunnel, alerting the maintenance workers to her position before she zipped past them.

    Nico rounded a corner and jumped over some railing that led to a maintenance entrance, pushing past the workers and out of the door. She ran into a room surrounded by shafts and pipes and other workers. Instead of running down the stairs to get there, Nico hopped the railing again. She hit the floor and kept running through a thin walkway that snaked through the maze of shafts. Finally, she reached a door on the very end and she dashed through it as quickly as it would open.

    Nico found herself out in a busy street of Nar Shaddaa not too far away from the imperial sector she had been trying to make her way into. She took a moment to catch her breath again as she looked around. She should be safe now, right?

    ¡°Over there!¡± An armored man with an imperial accent called out as he started running through the crowd toward her.

    ¡°Dank ferrik,¡± Nico yelled in frustration before turning and starting to sprint away. She weaved her way around all of the people on the street, pushing any who got in her way. As she reached the corner of the street and turned, she immediately stopped in her tracks.

    A bunch of imperial soldiers stood in front of her with their blaster rifles raised in her direction. ¡°On the ground! Now!¡±

    Nico panted as she looked down at the ground. ¡°Fratz¡­¡± As the footsteps behind her got closer, Nico knew there was no way out. She finally raised her hands slowly into the air as she dropped down to her knees.

    Immediately, one of the Imperials ran forward with binders. He grabbed her arms and locked them inside before pushing her down to the ground. ¡°We¡¯ve got you now, murderer.¡±

    ¡°What? What are you talking about,¡± Nico questioned him as he pushed her face against the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill anyone! I just found the ID, I swear!¡±

    The ground shook as the massive soldier from before pushed his way through the crowd of guards and slowly stepped toward her. He reached down and grabbed her by her shirt, pulling her up into the air to look at her. ¡°Save it for someone who cares.¡± He then balled his fist and punched her once in the face, immediately knocking her out.

 Be Careful Who You Trust

    [Past]

    Nicoash made her way to the docks the moment she was able to sneak away from Jarik. The dock was the biggest and oldest part of the city, standing in the very center like the trunk of a tree. The building¡¯s age was clear as much of the metal had rusted, but it clearly wasn¡¯t built properly to begin with. It was a miracle that it still stood at all. It was in dire need of an upgrade. Nicoash glided through the loading bay with practiced precision. Many of the dockworkers knew her well at this point, and it was easy to avoid running into her. A few even gave her a nod as she passed.

    She reached a corner far away from prying eyes where most never bothered to go. She walked up to a section of the wall that was particularly rusted and broken. She wrapped her fingers around the metal sheet that barely clung to the wall and pulled it backwards, opening up a little hole. She then climbed inside and pulled the sheet back over.

    Inside, the wall was filled with dusty wires and flashing lights. Nicoash stood and looked up where a small shaft continued upward, ferrying the bigger wires to other parts of the docks. She reached up and grabbed a wire, pulling herself up until she could reliably push her back up against the other side of the wall. She used the wires to climb up the shaft and into an open section a few dozen feet up. Clearly this section was meant for maintenance, but few people bothered at this point.

    Nicoash walked a bit further in until she found an open part of the wall overlooking one of the docks. Nearby, there was a pile of blankets, a couple of trinkets, and a datapad loaded with a few books that Nicoash had gotten for her birthday. Nicoash walked up to the opening and peered out of it to see Vynn¡¯s ship still docked. She looked around the dock until she found what she was looking for.

    Vynn walked into the dock, followed closely by one of the dockworkers carrying a big crate. He looked down at his datapad, pointing toward his ship for the dock worker to keep walking.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    The dock worker turned to him as he walked. ¡°So, you seriously left her back there?¡±

    Vynn chuckled at him and shook his head. ¡°¡®Course I did. I didn¡¯t want her nipping at my heels while I¡¯m trying to leave.¡±

    Nicoash¡¯s heart sank as she listened. She swallowed the lump in her throat and kept watching as the dock worker came out of Vynn¡¯s ship a few minutes later.

    ¡°But, leaving her with the pirates?¡± The worker brushed his hands off.

    ¡°The kid will be fine.¡± Vynn waved his hand dismissively as he lowered his datapad and started walking toward the ramp. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve imparted the last bit of wisdom I can offer her.¡± He stepped up the ramp and turned around, raising his hand to rest it on the opening above him. ¡°Be careful who you trust.¡±

    Nicoash started breathing more heavily as she stepped away from the opening. Vynn and the dock worker continued chatting for a while longer, but she didn¡¯t listen to a word of it. She just stood there with the growing pit in her stomach. The only thing that was able to rouse her was the sound of the ship¡¯s engines roaring to life. She stepped up to the opening again and watched as the ship slowly lifted off the ground and started its ascent into the atmosphere. Soon, the glow of the engines faded to nothing in the sky. He was gone.

    Nicoash let her gaze drop again. She turned away from the opening and walked over to the pile of blankets. She collapsed onto them and went limp, staring up at the ceiling.

    He was really gone. Not only that, he left her. He didn¡¯t want her. She wasn¡¯t good enough. She would never be good enough. She was just a little farm girl on a backwater planet. No one would ever want her. She was stuck there. She was stuck there forever. The rest of the galaxy felt further away now than it ever had. She was trapped. She was locked away in a prison, surrounded by people who told her to be thankful for it. Everyone told her that she¡¯d grow out of it. She¡¯d grow to love the prison, or at the very least accept it. It felt like Nicoash¡¯s whole world was collapsing at that moment, but no one would ever take that seriously. No one would understand what she felt. After all, she was just a kid.

    Nicoash spent hours laying there, spiraling further and further into despair. It wasn¡¯t until the sun shone through the opening, blinding Nicoash momentarily, that she was able to come back to reality. The sun was setting, and she still hadn¡¯t gotten what she promised her father.

    ¡°Fratz¡­¡± Nicoash muttered under her breath as she sat up. She took a shaky breath and pushed herself up to her feet. If she took any longer, her parents would probably explode. She left her hiding place and walked back into the city.

 Get to Work

    [Present]

    Nico rubbed her wrists against her constraints uncomfortably. The inside of the transport was cold and it felt so lifeless. The only other being within view was a singular guard who sat next to Nico with his blaster rifle lowered but always ready. Nico glanced over at him a few times, still trying to find some way to use him to get out of the situation, but it was far too late at this point.

    The transport left the hangar of the harrower, continuing its descent down to the planet of Manda. As the light of the atmosphere started to come into view, Nico was immediately made aware of a viewport on the other side of the transport. She looked back at the guard again for a moment, but he just nodded for her to have a look. Nico pushed herself to her feet and quickly walked over to the viewport. She knelt down on the seat in front of it, pushing her head to the edge so that she could see out of it.

    Nico could only see a sprawling city beneath her with no signs of greenery getting closer with each passing moment. There was no telling how far the city stretched. The transport continued to descend further toward the city, but it kept its path forward to a location that Nico couldn¡¯t see from the view port. As the city got closer and closer, Nico started to question why the transport wasn¡¯t slowing for a landing. Just when it felt like the transport might crash into the ground, Nico was instead greeted by the sight of a massive metal wall. It quickly covered her view entirely, and the city became a distant memory. The wall was covered in pipes and grates and vents that gave it a rough and uneven texture. Nico raised her head up to try and get a view down, but she only saw more wall. The transport continued further and further and further down and the pit in Nico¡¯s stomach grew deeper and deeper in accordance with her understanding of the pit that surrounded her. Eventually, the light of the sky faded away entirely, being replaced with bright fluorescent lights instead.

    It felt like it had been multiple minutes before the transport finally started to slow. Nico quickly twisted around and sat back down in her seat to prepare herself for the inevitability of landing on solid ground. Nico could hear the sound of the landing gear touching down on metal as the transport came to a complete stop. The exit ramp started spraying gas around the edges as the hydraulics screeched and pushed the ramp down toward the ground. Nico peered out of the ramp to see a collection of guards already waiting with blaster rifles resting on their chests.

    The guard that had been sitting next to Nico stood up and motioned for her to get up. Nico complied and stepped forward in front of him before starting to walk down the ramp. All of the air exited her lungs as she stopped and stared upwards. The transport had descended down the largest metal chasm that Nico had ever seen in her life. She had never been so deep in a city-planet, even on Nar Shaddaa. The sky had completely disappeared from view and was replaced with only darkness.

    The guard behind her pushed her forward with his rifle. ¡°Move.¡±

    Nico pulled herself back to reality and nodded as she continued her path down the ramp. The group of guards surrounded her and led her inside of the compound, which had been carved out of the wall of the chasm. The landing pad she stood on was the only part that stretched out of the wall. The guards led her through the bleak, soulless facility, guiding her through the endless gray corridors toward the processing area. The prison was sleek and perfect, a reflection of the Empire that it served.

    She was pushed through processing quickly and aggressively. It was immediately clear that the guards cared very little about Nico¡¯s wellbeing. In fact, they seemed annoyed to be dealing with a new prisoner in the first place. Every guard seemed to regard her with disgust.

    Over the course of the process, Nico was forced into a gray jumpsuit. The guards took away her clothes and possessions, tossing them into a locker nearby that was on a wall of other lockers. Nico darted her eyes toward them, watching as they put in the code ¡°1 7 0 8 9.¡±

    Nico was immediately pushed forward again and rushed through the rest of the intake process. She was then guided back through the halls until they reached a large set of doors with a couple of guards stationed just outside. They conversed around a desk where an observation officer sat with a bored and exhausted look on his face. The doors opened and Nico was guided into a small hallway with another set of doors on the other side. The door closed behind them before the next set of doors opened and Nico was pushed into the work bay.

    The first thing Nico saw as she entered was the loading bay. A bunch of the other prisoners were already hard at work loading big boxes into cargo ships. Nico turned to look along the path of the cargo ships, seeing a huge hole in the side of the wall where ships could travel in and out. It was a huge hangar.

    ¡°Get to work,¡± the guard said to her before backing up just as the door closed behind her.

    Nico turned to look at the closed door, raising her eyebrows at it. As she turned, however, she immediately caught a glimpse of what lay beside it. There was a huge blaster turret sticking out of the ground, pointing into the work bay. Nico turned to the other side of the door to see one more. She gulped before stepping forward.

    Before she could be confused for too long, a woman stepped forward with a datapad in her hand. ¡°You! New blood?¡±

    Nico turned toward her, looking her over for a moment before shrugging. The woman seemed tired and disheveled, but she walked with confidence. Her hair was messy and matted from lack of a proper wash.

    ¡°Right. Come on. I¡¯ll get you started.¡± She beckoned for Nico to follow her before stepping into the work bay.

    Nico followed closely behind her as her eyes constantly darted around. She wanted to take in her surroundings, but she also hoped she could find some sort of weakness. Any hope of a location outside of the view of cameras was quickly squashed when she noticed the surveillance droids floating around. They were old, and clearly cheaper than most surveillance droids that the empire had employed. They were bright red and they looked like huge floating cameras with claw arms that raised and lowered in continuous movement. Nico cursed under her breath as she kept following the woman further.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The woman led Nico to an assembly line at the other end of the work bay that extended almost endlessly in front of them. ¡°Here.¡± The woman pointed to an empty spot further down the line as they arrived at it. ¡°This will be your station. You will have only one job. This job will never change, got that?¡± She raised an eyebrow at Nico before motioning for her to stand next to the line.

    Nico walked up to it and nodded as she peered further down the line. They were building something small and mechanical, but it was difficult to tell exactly what it was. Each person on the line had one simple task that they would repeat each couple of seconds as a new object replaced the one they had finished with. ¡°What are we making?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Just do your job.¡± The woman nodded as she started to step away. ¡°We work fourteen hour shifts every day. You will get one ten minute break after seven hours. I suggest you use it to fill up on nutrient paste so you don¡¯t pass out on the line. Jastin, get her up to speed.¡±

    As the woman walked off, the man next to Nico on the line turned to her and started showing her how to do her part of the job. Nico followed his instructions closely, but she kept occasionally looking around the room. It didn¡¯t take her long to get the hang of the simple work.

    Nico¡¯s gaze eventually wandered over toward the loaders once again while she worked. She looked for only a few seconds, but that was enough for her to notice a familiar head of greasy black hair. Her heart dropped as she watched Vynn turn around holding a crate with cargo loaders. Nico quickly turned back to the work that she was doing.

    Nico could barely focus now that she knew he was here. It felt almost impossible. Everything around her faded from existence until she finally heard a loud monotone voice signal that it was time for their break. Everyone around Nico backed away from their workstation and started walking toward a collection of kiosks on the wall to receive their meal.

    Nico tapped her thumb against her leg as she stood up. She took in a deep breath before turning and darting over toward Vynn. ¡°Hey!¡±

    Vynn turned to her with a look of confusion as she addressed him. He looked around for a moment to see if she was talking to him before responding. ¡°Hey¡­? You¡¯re the new kid, right?¡±

    Nico cocked her head to the side as he spoke, furrowing her brow in her own look of confusion. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ remember me?¡±

    ¡°Should I?¡± He sat back on one of the crates as he inspected her. ¡°Sorry sweetheart, I don¡¯t remember every pretty girl I come across. Let me guess, you¡¯re mad that I disappeared after our night together?¡±

    ¡°What? No!¡± Nico scoffed in frustration. ¡°How do you not remember me?¡± She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer that would never come. She eventually shook her head. ¡°Ventano. Nine years ago. You taught me how to steal, remember?¡±

    Vynn looked her over once again as he pursed his lips, trying to pull the memories out of the recesses of his mind. ¡°Ohhh, kark. I remember now! Yeah you were that little kid. Ah¡­ uhm¡­ what¡­ was it again?¡±

    Nico raised her eyebrows at him as he spoke. At first, she was offended by his lack of memory of her name. Then, she let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Sneena. Valco.¡±

    ¡°Sneena! That¡¯s right!¡± He chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Sorry about that. It¡¯s been so long, and you¡¯ve grown up quite a bit since then. You can¡¯t hold that against me, right?¡±

    ¡°You left me. Do you remember that? You promised you would take me with you and then you left me.¡± Nico¡¯s voice cracked as she tried to control her anger.

    ¡°Hey, hey. Ok, I get it, that probably hurt. But you were a kid! You wouldn¡¯t have understood. I mean come on. Think about it, right? Can you blame me?¡± He shook his head casually. ¡°I sure as kriff wasn¡¯t ready for a kid.  You probably just would have ended up here sooner.¡±

    Nico gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. She wanted to punch him more than anything. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡­.¡± As she tried to find the words that she had practiced so frequently, she turned to look at the room around them. Her gaze rested on the turrets for a moment before shifting to look out at the chasm. She took a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°Whatever.¡± She turned back to him. ¡°How long have you been here?¡±

    He shrugged lightly as he bobbed his head back and forth. ¡°I dunno. Year maybe? You lose count eventually.¡±

    Nico took a step forward to speak under her breath. ¡°Anyone tried to escape?¡±

    He raised an eyebrow at her before rolling his eyes. ¡°Everyone talks about escape first. Kark, I did too when I first got here. But if you wanna survive, you gotta squash that hope right now.¡±

    Nico looked at him in shock. ¡°What? Seriously? You¡¯ve given up already?¡±

    He stood up and motioned for her to follow. ¡°We all have. Take a look.¡± He stepped up to the very edge of the chasm. ¡°If ]this by itself isn¡¯t enough, let me paint you a little picture, kid.¡± He then pointed up at the other side of the wall.

    Nico followed his finger, looking up at the other side. Far above them, she could make out the outline of another hangar door. She squinted as she looked up at it. ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°Ship. Belongs to some rich scudsucker from the surface. He keeps it down here to keep it safe. The empire could have asked him to move it, right? Keep it out of view of us. But they haven¡¯t. You know why?¡± He watched Nico shake her head before continuing. ¡°It gave some of us hope at one point. A way out that is that close. But it¡¯s impossible.¡± He pointed at the wall before it. ¡°The climb itself is hard enough. You¡¯d have to be crazy to try it. But some people are that crazy.¡± He then pointed above him. ¡°So they¡¯ve got cameras and a blaster turret up there. The second someone makes it across they¡¯re space dust. Now, even if you somehow manage to survive all of that, which would only be possible if you¡¯re the luckiest person in the galaxy or if you¡¯re some kriffing jedi, you¡¯ve got to deal with that big imperial ship in orbit. For anyone to leave Manda, they need launch codes that are given out by the empire to ensure they pass through safely. They¡¯re easy to get for any Manda citizen. Not for us.¡± He finally stepped back into the work bay, away from the chasm. ¡°Tons of idiots have tried it. More than I can count. And now every single one of their bodies are lying in a heap at the bottom of that chasm. It¡¯s impossible. You can¡¯t get out through the back door or the front door.¡± He pointed over toward the turrets that Nico had noticed when she walked in. ¡°When enough people fail and die in front of you, you¡¯ll give up too.¡± He turned to face her, giving her a serious look that Nico had never seen from him. ¡°Just be careful you don¡¯t wind up being one of them.¡±

    Nico walked behind him, following his finger whenever he pointed. She crossed her arms and slumped over. Every escape plan she had formulated since she had gotten there was effortlessly squashed in that moment. ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s it then? What am I supposed to do?¡± She posed the last question more to herself than Vynn.

    ¡°Get to work,¡± Vynn answered as he walked back toward the cargo ship.

    Shortly after, a loud alarm rang to inform the inmates that it was time to get back to work. It was enough to rouse Nico before she could get lost in her thoughts. She meandered over to her workstation to continue where she had left off.

 One More Mark

    [Past]

    The setting sun bathed the sprawling plains of Ventano in dark orange hues. Nicoash¡¯s tinted goggles could only do so much to keep her vision clear as her speeder zoomed directly into the light. The wind billowed through her hair, keeping it in constant motion. Since she kept it cut short, however, it never got in her eyes. She stepped on the gas, pushing the speeder to go faster. She knew she was already late, but that didn¡¯t calm her.

    The outline of her home came into view over the horizon, causing Nicoash to hold her breath in anticipation. It was a small farm compared to the others across the world. It was run only by the Vesdanis themselves. The first thing Nicoash saw was the large barn on the edge of the field of crops. Once she saw it, she was easily able to find the house nearby in the center of the stretch of land. She slowed her speeder, adjusting its course to bring her toward the garage.

    The speeder continued to slow down as she got closer until it was practically inching its way forward. The garage door opened slowly, and Nicoash was immediately greeted with the sight of her frustrated father. His frown and furrowed eyebrows created more wrinkles than he already had. His tattered clothes and hairy arms were covered in a layer of dirt from a hard day¡¯s work.

    Nicoash finally let out the breath she had been holding in, morphing it into a frustrated sigh. She slowly pushed forward until the speeder was completely encased within the garage, at which point the door started to screech closed once again. Nicoash powered off the speeder, causing it to slowly drift toward the ground where it could rest comfortably. As the hum of the speeder¡¯s engines died down, she pushed herself up and jumped out of the cockpit.

    ¡°Where were you? It has been hours! It¡¯s almost dark out, Nicoash!¡± Her father immediately started scolding her when the noise died down enough for her to hear him. He stepped over toward her, extending his arm and giving her a frustrated point to accentuate his words.

    ¡°I lost track of time!¡± Nicoash quickly fired back as she reached into the cockpit and pulled out her bag. It was a rehearsed dance between the two of them at this point. Nicoash no longer backed down the moment voices were raised.

    ¡°Lost track of time? What could you have possibly been doing that made you lose this many hours?¡±

    Nicoash simply rolled her eyes in response as she started walking toward the door that separated the garage from the house. ¡°Nothing! Just playing with a friend.¡±

    ¡°Just playing?¡± Her father immediately turned as she walked past him. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this. You can play after you¡¯ve finished your chores.¡±

    Nicoash turned to look at him, resting a single foot on the step. ¡°Ok? I¡¯ll do them now.¡±

    ¡°Your brother already did them for you. They needed to get done.¡± As Nicoash started to turn around again, he reached forward to take her arm. ¡°Nicoash. You know how important this is, right?¡±

    Nicoash stopped in her tracks, staring at the white metal of the door as she listened. She didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Look, I understand that you¡¯re a kid. You want to play and have fun and explore and make friends and¡­ be a kid. I know. But I can¡¯t run this place without you and your brother.¡± He let go of her arm. ¡°This is our life, Nicoash. This is how we survive. I know it¡¯s not fun. I know you want more right now but¡­ some of us just aren¡¯t that lucky.¡± He took a deep breath as he gave her the chance to respond. Instead, she just stood there staring at the door. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be here forever. When I¡¯m gone¡­ you need to be able to take over for me. For your brother. For your mother. I¡¯m trusting you with this, Nicoash, because I know you can handle it. This is going to be your life one day. I need you to take that seriously.¡±

    Nicoash turned her head toward him only slightly so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. The two stood in silence for a while, letting his words hang in the air. She then shook her head and turned toward the door, pressing the button to open it. ¡°You practice that one all day?¡±

    Her father gritted his teeth, stepping into the house behind her. He took in a deep breath and started walking toward the kitchen. ¡°Just think about it, okay? Now go install those power converters before the sun goes down.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Nicoash waved her hand dismissively as she continued her path through the house and out the front door. She walked down the path and into the field toward the barn. As she neared it, she reached up and held her nose to guard it from the horrible stench emanating from the barn. ¡°Ew yuck,¡± she shouted, waving a hand back and forth.

    Her brother came out of the bar a few moments later, holding his nose as well. He looked so much like Nicoash that they could almost be twins if it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was much shorter both in height and hair. He looked up to her and shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

    ¡°You scared the kriffing nerfs again.¡± Nicoash grimaced as she walked past him. ¡°How many times have I told you to be careful?¡±

    ¡°It is supposed to be your job anyway.¡± He pouted at her. ¡°Also, mom said you aren¡¯t supposed to say that word!¡±

    ¡°And mom isn¡¯t going to find out, right?¡± She walked over to a control panel near the side of the bar. She squatted down next to it before turning to her brother. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ okay.¡± He sighed as he turned toward the house. ¡°I¡¯m not doing your chores tomorrow though¡­.¡±

    Nicoash grinned at him before returning to her work. She dropped her hand away from her nose so that she could use it, causing her to immediately grimace again from the smell. She opened up the panel under it and reached inside, finding the old power converters and pulling them out. She then reached into her bag and pulled out the new ones that she had bought in the city. She reached inside and carefully replaced them, making sure that everything was connected properly before replacing the panel again. She then stood up and looked at the controls. She pressed a few buttons to activate it. Next to her, a bright red force field wall suddenly stretched out of a towering metal post. It slowly connected with the next post, causing that post to slowly start its connection with the next. The force field continued to connect post by post around the farm in a circle until the whole farm was surrounded by a bright red force field fence that towered high above Nicoash. ¡°That should keep the Nexu out.¡±

    Nicoash stepped up to the fence and inspected the posts to make sure that everything was working properly. She had been entrusted with maintaining the fence around their farm for only a year now, but she managed to figure out how it worked well. The fences had become a staple in all of the farms around the planet ever since a smuggler lost a shipment of Nexu many years ago.

    Once she was sure that the fence was working as intended, she turned and stared through it. The fence was partially opaque, but it drowned the surrounding scenery in a filter of bright red. She stared out at the sun as it finally dipped under the distant hills. She breathed heavily as all the thoughts she had felt earlier that day swam into her head once again. She sighed as her gaze fell to the ground. She took a few steps backward before finally turning to walk toward the house. She walked slowly, kicking the ground every couple of steps.

    The rest of the night passed uneventfully. The family ate dinner together as they always did. Though Nicoash¡¯s mother wanted to scold her for her disobedience, her father assured her that he had already said everything that needed to be said. Nicoash could hardly eat anything as the pit in her stomach threatened to swallow her whole. She pretended to eat for a while before excusing herself and leaving before her mother could complain about her lack of appetite.

    Nicoash laid in her bed restlessly, staring up at the ceiling as the moon flooded her room in light. Her thoughts simply wouldn¡¯t calm down and let her rest. The day felt unfinished. She felt unsatisfied. This wasn¡¯t how this day was supposed to go.

    One more mark, and she would have been free. One more mark, and she would have left this planet behind. One more mark.

    Nicoash sat up in her bed. She looked around the room slowly as her breathing started to quicken. She clenched her fists, giving it one more thought before twisting her body around and hopping off of her bed. She quickly grabbed her jacket that she had thrown on the ground. She pulled it on frantically as she stepped into her boots. Once she was dressed, she started for the door. She paused halfway there before turning to look at the mirror she kept in her room. When everyone else saw that girl, they just saw some kid. That isn¡¯t what Nicoash saw. She saw the reflection of a girl with purpose. She knew what that girl was capable of, even if no one else did. Nicoash grinned before finally turning to exit her room.

    Nicoash didn¡¯t have to try too hard to be quiet. Afterall, her little night walks had become a pretty constant occurrence as she always needed some sort of midnight snack to stay asleep. She knew her parents would think nothing of it. By the time they did, she¡¯d already be gone.

    She quickly made her way into the garage. She hopped back into the driver¡¯s seat of the speeder and opened up the garage door. She powered up the speeder and slowly pulled it out of the garage. She was very careful as she directed the speeder around and out of the farm, deactivating a section of the fence just long enough to get her through it. Once she was finally outside, she let the speeder hover for a moment as she turned to look at her house.

    ¡°One more mark.¡±

    She then turned forward and furrowed her brow. The engines roared to life as she hit the throttle hard, pushing the speeder to max speed as fast as she possibly could. In seconds, her house was far behind her. She gripped the speeder controls tightly as she stared off into the horizon. She knew where she was going.

 A Reason to Leave

    [Present]

    There had to be something. There had to be something. Nico held onto that hope for many months, but as time passed, her reality started to set in. Just like the others, Nico¡¯s hope slowly drained away day by day. She knew she needed more than just a strong will to escape. She knew that if her plan wasn¡¯t perfect, she would die. That knowledge locked her in a state of indecision that had lasted for almost a year now.

    Nico stared up at the lights on the ceiling from her bunk, imagining them as the sunrise she¡¯d never see again. The voices of her fellow inmates had faded away into nothingness in the back of her mind as her focus remained fixated on dreams of freedom. The dreams became akin to nightmares when she brought herself back to reality with the realization that they were just that: dreams. She turned over in her bunk with the intent to get some rest for the next shift, but then she finally heard a glimpse of the conversation going on behind her.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be turning four in just a few weeks.¡± Nico recognized the voice. It was a young man named Kell. He had only arrived at the prison a few weeks ago. He was older than Nico, but not by very much. He had taken Jastin¡¯s place on the line next to her after his untimely passing. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ imagine how hard this must be for her.¡±

    The older gentleman he was talking to started to respond, but he was cut off by Nico instead. ¡°Your kid?¡± She sat up on her bunk, looking over at Kell. He was much smaller and weaker than the other men there. Nico feared that a strong wind might snap him in half at this point. With him being so close to her in age as well, she found it hard to believe he had a kid at all, much less one who was four years old.

    ¡°Huh?¡± He looked up to Nico after she spoke, as if he had completely forgotten she was there in the first place. ¡°Oh! Yeah.¡± He then motioned to the man next to him. ¡°We were just talking about family and¡­ this is the first time I will ever miss her birthday.¡±

    ¡°Not the last,¡± Vynn grumbled as he turned over in his own bunk nearby. Nico shot Vynn an angry look, but Kell seemed to completely deflate at his words.

    ¡°I guess¡­ you¡¯re not wrong,¡± Kell mumbled. The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes. Just as Nico was about to lay back down, Kell continued. ¡°It¡¯s the worst part, you know? Of being here. Well, at least for me. Knowing that she is out there growing up without me¡­. It¡¯s hard to bear it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it eventually.¡± Vynn finally shifted around to look at him. ¡°It gets easier. Trust me. You should focus on yourself anyway.¡±

    Nico looked over at Vynn as he spoke. Then, her gaze wandered around the room to every other inmate. Just from one glance, it was clear that all of them had given up just like Vynn. They had given up just like Nico was starting to. Nico tapped her finger on the edge of the bunk as the gears turned in her head. She looked over to Kell. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to get out?¡±

    ¡°Not this again.¡± Vynn rolled his eyes as he turned around in his bunk.

    Kell watched Vynn only briefly before shifting his focus to Nico. ¡°Well¡­ yeah¡­. I mean-¡±

    ¡°You want to see your daughter again, right? What would you do to get that?¡±

    ¡°...Anything.¡± Kell nodded at her finally.

    The corner of Nico¡¯s lips twitched, trying to form a grin before being stifled quickly. ¡°And what about you?¡± Nico directed her attention to the man next to Kell. ¡°You¡¯ve got family? Friends? Why would you want to get out of here?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    He looked back and forth between Kell and Nico, unsure of how to respond initially. Then he stopped and let himself think about it. ¡°I¡¯ve got a brother. He¡¯s the last family I¡¯ve got left and¡­ I need to know he is okay.¡±

    Nico nodded at him as she leaned forward. ¡°See? I think we all have a reason to leave. But we¡¯ve let ourselves forget all about it.¡± She looked up at the other inmates around them. ¡°We¡¯re all too scared to even think about it.¡± She paused, exhaling audibly through her nose. Her gaze wandered from inmate to inmate, trying to imagine what each of them must have been like before they had lost hope. ¡°But¡­ what if we did think about it?¡± She turned back to Kell and pointed out to the room. ¡°If every single person here fights for their reason, how can they possibly stop us?¡±

    ¡°Would you give it a rest already?¡± Vynn rolled around again and stepped off his bunk. ¡°You¡¯re going to get yourself killed and anyone else who tries to follow you.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone ever tried it? Everyone escaping at once?¡± Nico turned to him directly, refusing to back down.

    ¡°We¡¯d get mowed down by those turrets before we even have a chance to think.¡±

    ¡°And what if we weren¡¯t? What if we disabled the turrets first?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°Well maybe I can-¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Vynn stepped toward her and pointed directly at her face. ¡°You can¡¯t! You never could. You think that you¡¯re something special? You think you can do something no one else can? You¡¯re some kriffing farm girl from a bum kriff planet no one has even heard of. You¡¯re nothing.¡± He scowled at her as he dropped his arm. ¡°You never were.¡±

    Nico stared at him with flared nostrils. She felt an intense heat rise in her cheeks as she watched him slowly step away to lay down on his bunk again. ¡°You don¡¯t know a single thing about me.¡± She spit the words at him.

    He didn¡¯t respond, and the group went quiet once again. Kell¡¯s eyes jerked back and forth between the two of them, feeling tension so thick it felt like he was drowning just by being near them. Eventually, he cleared his throat to speak again. ¡°What about you?¡±

    Nico turned back to Kell, raising her eyebrows at him. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your reason?¡±

    Nico looked down at the ground. Her mind wandered to the places that she had held it back from for so long. She shut her eyes and shook her head a few times. ¡°I had friends. Once. I had¡­ a family. Not the one I was born with, a new one.¡± She took a deep breath as she raised her hand up to her face. She covered up her mouth to keep her facial expressions hidden as she talked. ¡°I met them after I ran away. They took me in and¡­ they cared about me. They actually cared about me. But I¡­ I ran. Something bad was going to happen. I knew it. So I ran away. I haven¡¯t seen them since.¡±

    Vynn scoffed at her, shaking his head. ¡°Something bad was going to happen? Are you serious?¡± He sat up. ¡°Look at me.¡±

    Kell turned toward Vynn and shook his head. ¡°Vynn, stop.¡±

    Vynn shooed Kell with his hand as he kept his gaze fixated on Nico. ¡°No no, she needs to hear this. Look at me.¡±

    Nico reluctantly turned to look at him, clenching her teeth beneath her hand.

    ¡°We both know your track record. You always wanted to run, because that¡¯s who you are. You had a good thing on Ventano, but you didn¡¯t care. You ran. You found a new family, and then you ran. You ended up here, and you can¡¯t seem to get yourself to stop kriffing running. All you do is run!¡± Vynn stared directly at her, leaning forward on the bunk. ¡°I know because you¡¯re like me, kid. We don¡¯t stay in one place. Not for long. But this time, you¡¯ve gotta learn to give it up. You can¡¯t run anymore.¡±

    Nico breathed heavily as she stared at him. Her mind was reaching for the last word, but she couldn¡¯t find it. Soon, she forgot about the conversation entirely and just let herself sink. Her hand lowered from her mouth, resting on the side of the bunk instead. She gripped it tightly and gritted her teeth. As the silence finally seemed like it was going to last, Vynn laid down one last time to sleep. Nico shook her head and relaxed her posture. ¡°I know.¡±

    Vynn froze for a moment as she spoke, but he eventually just continued with what he was doing, ignoring her entirely. Kell, however, looked up at her with wide eyes.

    ¡°I made a mistake. I know I did. I shouldn¡¯t have run. I just¡­ didn¡¯t know what to do. That¡¯s why I have to get out of here though. I need them to know that¡­ I kriffed up. I was wrong. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll ever take me back but¡­ I just need them to know that¡­ I love them.¡± Nico¡¯s lips quivered briefly, prompting her to cover her mouth again. She took a moment to calm herself down before looking back at Kell. ¡°I¡¯m going to get out. And I am going to tell them myself.¡±

 Scoping

    [Past]

    The grass beneath Nicoash squelched as she hopped off her speeder. She could practically feel how wet it was, even through her boots. She stepped around the back of the speeder and opened up the storage compartment. After a bit of digging, she managed to find a pair of electrobinoculars that she had stashed inside. She walked over to the edge of the nearby cliff, careful to not slip on the dew.

    As Nicoash stepped up to the cliff, the town where the pirates had made base came into full view. It was an old, abandoned settlement: the final remnants of a fallen community. Nicoash didn¡¯t really know what happened to them, just that they were gone. The pirates had taken control of it some time ago when they arrived on Ventano. Most people on the planet were warned to steer clear of the sector, lest they be ambushed and looted. This time, the pirates would be the ones getting looted. At least, that is what Nicoash told herself with a grin on her face.

    She knelt down at the edge of the cliff, resting her leg in the wet grass below her. She pulled the binocs up to her face and powered them on, carefully zooming her view in to see the pirates within.

    The first thing Nicoash noticed was that there were far more pirates than she had been expecting. She had only ever seen a handful of pirates at one time, but now she saw at least double that, and those were only the ones that were awake and outside. As she scanned the area, she noticed a few traveling into and out of a large building toward the center of the town. That had to be the town hall. Nicoash grumbled softly. There was no telling how many pirates were inside.

    She lowered the binocs from her face for a moment. This was going to be much harder than she thought. She turned to look at the speeder behind her. The low hum of the engines served as a reminder that she could hop back in and head home at any time. Afterall, she knew that is what anyone would expect her to do. She pursed her lips, watching the way the grass pulled away from the speeder in waves. A little grin formed on her face, and she turned back toward the town, pulling the binocs back up.

    She looked around the outskirts of the town, noticing the tall electric fence posts surrounding it. Clearly the town had an issue with nexu as well, but for some reason the fences were left off. Nicoash shrugged her shoulders as she brought the binocs around to look toward the entrance of the town.

    A couple of pirates stood around the edge of the biggest road in the town. Each of them were already armed, but none of them had their blasters raised. They all seemed to be completely relaxed, and they were lost in casual conversation with one another.

    The sound of a speeder below Nicoash caused her to immediately drop down onto her stomach, pulling away from the edge of the cliff. As the sound got further away, she poked her head back over the edge, pulling her binocs up again. A speeder carrying a large trailer meant for livestock was slowly making its way up to the town. As it arrived, it was greeted by the guards who stood in its way. They seemed excited, but Nicoash wasn¡¯t very good at reading lips, especially ones that spoke in basic. She turned slightly to look into the trailer behind it. Through the gaps left around the sides, she managed to make out the distinct silhouettes of nerfs. She couldn¡¯t tell how many were in there, but it looked like a lot.

    A big booming laugh cut through the quiet, echoing through the valley surrounding the town. Nicoash jerked the binocs up and saw exactly what she had been looking for. Vesho walked up to the group of pirates surrounding the trailer, patting his big belly. He pointed further into the town, directing the trailer. As it started inching its way forward, he turned to the guards with a big smile on his face. After patting a few on the shoulders, he motioned toward the town hall and started to walk toward it. As he turned, the moonlight reflected off of his ring, flashing the video feed on the binocs briefly. After recovering from the surprise flash, Nicoash started to grin again. She watched as Vesho travelled up the road and walked into the town hall.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    All the pieces were in front of her now. All she had to do was put them together. She continued scanning around as she tried to formulate some sort of plan. Each plan that started to form was immediately shot down, however, with a simple fact. There were too many pirates in the town for Nicoash to just sneak through.

    The familiar high pitched growl and loud barking of a Nexu pierced the silence of the night just as powerfully as the booming laugh of Vesho. Nicoash cocked her head around toward the noise. It sounded fairly distant. Nicoash looked back at the town briefly before grinning. It was close enough.

    She pulled the binocs up to her face one last time, scanning around to find the trailer. She found it toward the edge of the town on another side, as a couple of pirates were unloading the nerfs and leading them into a warehouse. The warehouse was only a few meters away from the controls to the force field fence. Nicoash pulled the binocs from her face and stood up. Now she had a plan.

    <hr>

    Nicoash made her way up to the eastern side of the town, far from the road that the guards were blocking. She made sure to keep herself low to the ground, dropping onto her stomach or jumping into one of the many bushes whenever she saw any of the pirates. It didn¡¯t take her long to arrive at the edge of the town.

    She rushed over to the force field controls, darting her head around to make sure no one was watching her. Luckily, it seemed none of the pirates seemed to really care about the fence. She crouched down under the controls, opening up a little panel on the bottom. She reached inside and started messing with the wiring. She pulled out the power converters and dropped them down below the wires before pulling a few wires and crossing them into the wrong places. She knew the pirates would need the fence eventually, but all she needed was time. She pulled her hands away, admiring her work for a moment before replacing the panel just like she had left it.

    She pushed herself up and turned, sneaking over toward the warehouse. As she reached it, she peered around the corner to look out for pirates. The trailer was gone, and most of the pirates had left by this point. Nicoash stepped around the corner, keeping close to the wall as she snuck over to the entrance of the warehouse. She pressed a button on the wall, opening up the door to the large loading dock. Once it was open, she whipped around the edge and rushed inside.

    There were plenty of nerfs inside. It was enough to keep the pirates fed for weeks. The nerfs all stared at Nicoash expectantly as she entered. She brought the sleeve of her jacket up to her face and covered her nose tightly before running inside.

    ¡°Out! Out!¡± She ran around the nerfs, slapping as many as she could as she beckoned them forward. She kept shouting and yelling and slapping the nerfs to get them moving. The room immediately filled with the foul stench of fear as the nerfs started screeching and running forward. Nicoash grimaced from the stench that seeped through the fabric of her jacket, but she kept pushing the nerfs and slapping them. ¡°Go! Go! Out! Get!¡±

    The nerfs all filed out of the warehouse and scattered. Some of them sprinted further into the town, while others turned and ran out the way that Nico had come in. As soon as they were all out, Nicoash sprinted toward the buildings that surrounded the warehouse, diving into a nearby alley. She climbed up the side of one of the smaller buildings, struggling briefly to pull herself up. She then snuck over to the edge and looked out into the field surrounding the town, waiting.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to see an entire pack of nexu climbing down from surrounding cliffs. The scent of nerf fear was like a dinner bell to them, and they seemed hungry. They got low to the ground and scattered, sneaking up on some of the nerfs outside the town to pounce on them. A few of them were very quickly nearing the town.

    A couple of pirates ran over to the warehouse to inspect the commotion. They cursed loudly as scared nerfs ran past them, covering their noses to avoid the stench. Only one of them noticed the nexu at first, but he was quick to yell at the others. The frustrated curses quickly turned into fearful ones as they started scrambling. Nicoash could hear the sound of them sprinting away to tell the rest of the pirates what was happening. She admired her work for a moment longer before twisting around and hopping off the back of the building. She quickly made her way further into the town, weaving through alleys and staying out of sight as the sound of panicked footsteps and yelling surrounded her. Everyone was too busy to notice a twelve year-old girl.

 Compounding Logic

    [Present]

    Nico tapped her foot continuously on the ground below the assembly line, creating a consistent beat that went unnoticed by the inmates surrounding her. She had gotten good at her job. She was so good, in fact, that she hardly had to look anymore. Instead, she scanned the room over and over again. There had to be something.

    A commotion at the loading dock ripped her focus away from her thoughts. One of the loaders was yelling at a surveillance droid, clearly very frustrated. ¡°Watch where you are kriffing going!¡±

    ¡°I am - very very - sorry,¡± the droid responded. Nico had heard the droids talk before. All of them had a similar sort of monotone voice with random pauses. It was almost like they didn¡¯t know how to talk correctly. In fact, it was almost like they weren¡¯t supposed to be talking at all. ¡°This is - a grave err- or. Let me - help.¡± The droid slowly floated forward, lowering its claws to try and pick the box up.

    ¡°No, scug off!¡± The loader pushed the droid away. ¡°You droids are supposed to stay far away from us, not right in the middle messing up our quotas.¡±

    ¡°I apologize - I will - return to my - duty.¡± The droid turned and started floating away. As it turned, Nico noticed a familiar little cylinder poking out of its chassis: a restraining bolt.

    The corner of Nico¡¯s lips curled upwards in a subtle grin as the tapping stopped. She shifted her body toward Kell and leaned over, whispering to him. ¡°You notice something weird about that droid?¡±

    Kell raised his eyebrows at her, turning to look at her only briefly before getting back to work. He stared down at his task as he spoke. ¡°I guess? He gets kind of close.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s got a restraining bolt. You see that?¡±

    ¡°I guess so. What¡¯s your point?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still acting weird. The restraining bolt isn¡¯t working for some reason. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s weird?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it is supposed to act like that? Could be some like¡­ weird control tactic¡­ or something?¡±

    Nico raised an eyebrow at Kell before shaking her head. ¡°Not with the Empire. That thing has been acting more and more weird the last few months. I don¡¯t know how I didn¡¯t notice it until now. I just thought it was annoying.¡±

    Kell shrugged as he kept working. ¡°Yeah, sure is weird. So, what¡¯s your point?¡±

    Nico leaned closer, muttering her words so quietly that only Kell could hear. ¡°He is our ticket out of here.¡±

    Kell couldn¡¯t help but jerk his head toward Nico. ¡°What?¡± He responded a little too loudly, prompting weird looks from the other inmates surrounding them.

    Nico gave them an awkward smile as she leaned away and got back to work. She let silence hang in the air a while, waiting for the other¡¯s focus to shift away once again. She then leaned toward Kell again. ¡°You want out right? I think I can get that droid to help us.¡±

    Kell darted his eyes around before looking down at his work and leaning closer to Nico as well, speaking much quieter this time. ¡°How? I don¡¯t think it will just help us out of its own free will.¡±

    ¡°Trust me. I can get it on our side. I just need a bit of time alone with it.¡± She looked back over at the droid, watching it carefully. ¡°During break time, I¡¯m going to try it. I need you to get Vynn on board.¡±

    ¡°Sneena, what are you talking about? How are you going to convince a droid to help us? You¡¯re just going to get yourself killed if they see.¡±

    ¡°Trust.¡± Nico nodded at him. ¡°If I kriff it up, I¡¯m the only one who gets in trouble here. But if I succeed, I need the whole prison ready to move.¡±

    ¡°The whole prison?¡±

    ¡°Vynn can get enough people on board that everyone else will follow behind. You just have to get him on board. That is all I need you to do.¡± Nico looked over at the loading crew briefly before turning back to Kell and nodding. ¡°It¡¯s now or never. We¡¯re not going to get another shot.¡±

    Kell turned to her as he started breathing more heavily. He eventually nodded. ¡°Ok. I trust you. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±

    The two focused on their work once again. At least, Nico pretended to be focused on her work. Instead, she kept running through the plan that was formulating in her head. This was her only shot. She couldn¡¯t mess it up.

    The familiar low robotic tone echoed through the work bay, notifying the inmates that it was time for their break. All of the inmates surrounding Nico started to make their way over to the kiosks for their meal. Nico gave Kell a brief nod as he left and then waited for most of the inmates to pass her. Then, she started walking over to a stack of boxes toward the beginning of the line. She had kept her eye on the droid the entire time, careful not to lose it. She picked up one of the boxes and tossed it on the ground. She turned toward the droid and whistled softly, calling it over to her.

    The droid slowly floated over. Its mechanical claws twisted and turned as it floated, keeping the droid in constant movement. Nico couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of a fidgeting child as she watched it. ¡°Yes? Hello,¡± the droid greeted her.

    ¡°Yeah, hi, can you help me with this back here?¡± Nico pointed to the box that she had tossed. ¡°It''s too kriffing heavy.¡±

    The droid started to float forward, but then it stopped in its tracks. It remained silent for a moment, clearly computing. ¡°I am - not supposed to - talk to the - prisoners.¡± It turned toward her. ¡°I - apologize.¡±

    Nico grinned subtly again before crossing her arms. ¡°But you are, right? And you were earlier. What¡¯s the deal?¡±

    The droid spent a bit more time computing before offering a response. ¡°I do not - know.¡±

    Nico tapped her finger against her arm. ¡°That can¡¯t be right. Something must be wrong. When was the last time you had routine maintenance? When was the last time you were memory wiped?¡±

    Again, the droid took a while to respond. ¡°Approximately - four hundred and -  seventy two days.¡±

    Nico whistled in response. ¡°Kark. That¡¯s way longer than it should be. Someone clearly isn¡¯t doing their job. You are not operating at optimal efficiency.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°This is - correct.¡±

    ¡°I was a droid tech on Coruscant since I was a little kid. Mind if I take a look?¡± Nico stepped toward the droid, but waited for a response.

    ¡°This is - against my - programming. I can - not.¡±

    Nico shrugged, pausing her approach. ¡°Maybe it is. But, you¡¯re programmed to operate at maximum efficiency. A lack of maintenance means that you can¡¯t do your job properly.¡±

    ¡°This is - accurate.¡±

    ¡°See? Look, I know you aren¡¯t supposed to talk badly about any imperials, but let¡¯s be honest for a second, yeah? They aren¡¯t going to fix you. They tried putting a restraining bolt on you. Like a tiny bandage on a gaping wound. And it looks like they didn¡¯t even do that right.¡± She motioned to the restraining bolt. ¡°It¡¯s loose. Barely functioning. If things keep going the way they are, you¡¯re not going to be able to do what you are programmed to do. Your first priority. Then they¡¯ll scrap you.¡±

    ¡°This is - also accurate.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. So you¡¯ve got two options here. Let me run the maintenance, and fulfill your primary directive. Or, you ignore my help, as you¡¯re told, and fail to do your job. Which is a higher priority?¡±

    ¡°Proper - surveillance is my - primary directive. This - is true. You may - help me in my - mission.¡±

    Nico grinned and continued her approach. ¡°Good.¡± She reached over to inspect the restraining bolt. She was right, the bolt was loose. It was barely connected to the chassis, and it was far too easy for her to snap it off. ¡°This bolt isn¡¯t going to cut it. I can¡¯t attach this properly.¡± She took a step back, pursing her lips as she inspected the droid. ¡°I¡¯m going to need some tools. Listen, in one of the lockers, you¡¯ll find my bag. The code is 1 7 0 8 9. Inside my bag, I¡¯ve got a slicing kit and a scomp link. I need you to grab those and bring them back to me. Once the shift ends, you¡¯re going to meet me back here. We aren¡¯t going to have very long, so be quick.¡±

    ¡°This is - understood. I - will bring - your tools.¡±

    ¡°And be sneaky about it. Don¡¯t tell anyone what you are doing, okay?¡±

    ¡°I can - not lie. It- is against my - programming.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t lie, just don¡¯t tell anyone. If you tell anyone, then they are going to directly contradict your primary directive, keeping me from fixing you. You¡¯ll get scrapped for sure.¡±

    ¡°I will - not speak. This - is possible.¡±

    A loud buzz rang out in the room, notifying the inmates to get back to work. Nico stepped forward and gave his chassis a brief pat. ¡°Remember, right here. End of shift.¡± She then walked off to her work station.

    Nico tapped her foot for the rest of the shift, constantly darting her eyes toward the door over and over again. All it would take was one curious surveillance officer checking the feed of that droid for Nico¡¯s entire plan to crumble. No guards ever entered. As the monotone voice called out that the shift was over, one of the surveillance droids floated in through the opening door. All of the inmates started cleaning their work stations while the droid floated off to the place that Nico had spoken with it before. Nico hopped away from her station and quickly made her way over to the boxes as inmates walked past her. Two guards stepped into the workbay, standing on either side of the door as the inmates cleaned, but neither of them noticed Nico weaving through to the back.

    Nico rounded the corner and nodded at the droid. ¡°You got it?¡±

    In response, a compartment on the side of the droid¡¯s chassis opened, revealing the tools Nico had requested.

    Nico grabbed the tools from him, glancing around the room one last time before connecting the scomplink into the side of the droid. She raised her slicing kit and got to work, inputting a series of codes until her work matched up to let her into the droid¡¯s systems. She then immediately powered the droid off. The droid fell to the ground with an audibly clank, which prompted Nico to look around the corner to make sure no one was looking her way. Though a few seemed confused, no one seemed intent on investigating yet. Still, Nico didn¡¯t have much time left.

    She looked down at her slicing kit again. The display filled with thousands of lines of coding. Nico took a deep breath and started scrolling. She had reprogrammed droids before, so it was merely a matter of finding the specific lines that she needed. She started cycling through lines of code, quickly adjusting them with a series of inputs on her device. Her fingers worked fast. The sound of clicking echoed in her corner as she sped through the code. All it took was the deletion of a handful of lines and the adjustment of a few more to have the effect she intended. She peered around the corner again. The inmates had left the line by now, heading for the door. A couple of loaders were still cleaning, but it wasn¡¯t long until they finished. Nico turned back to the display, adjusting one more line of code before powering the droid back on. The lights around the camera on the droid flashed to life, and it slowly lifted back into the air.

    ¡°Listen up, because I don¡¯t have time to repeat myself.¡± Nico quickly stuffed her slicing kit back in his storage compartment and closed it. ¡°My name is Nicoash Vesdani. I¡¯m your new owner. I saw your designation is VS-18 but I am going to call you Viz. Remember that.¡± She peered around one last time before turning back to him and focusing completely.

    ¡°Understood - Nicoash Ves - dani.¡±

    ¡°First, I¡¯ll get this out of the way, do not say my name again until we are gone. Now then, here is what I need you to do. Tomorrow, I need you to log in to the security systems in the base. You are going to turn off every single auto defense turret and any other automated defenses in the prison. Then, you are going to open all security doors. After that, turn off the camera that is overlooking the climb. Only turn that one off. After that, I need you to make your way to the archives. Wherever they store their information. Get into the system and delete all video footage for the last year as well as the mugshots under the name ¡®Sneena Valco¡¯ and any other images of me that you can find in the system. Then, get the launch codes and transmit them to the starship in the dock above the climb. You got all that?¡±

    The droid paused for a moment. This time it felt like an eternity as Nico started tapping her thumb against her leg impatiently. ¡°I can - not transmit the - codes to this - starship without - proper access to it.¡±

    ¡°Kriff,¡± Nico muttered under her breath. ¡°Alright, new plan. Do everything else I told you to do, but download the launch codes into your own memory banks. Then, meet me down here at this dock. Can you do that?¡±

    ¡°Yes - this is - possible.¡±

    ¡°Good. If anyone asks what you are doing, the only thing you are allowed to say is that you are fulfilling your primary directive. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes - this answer is - sufficient.¡±

    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯m counting on you Viz.¡± She leaned down, patting the top of his chassis. ¡°Show me what you¡¯re made of.¡±

    Nico turned and quickly darted out from behind the boxes. She rushed over to the rest of the inmates as the loaders had started making their way out. Vynn was lagging behind, waiting on Nico. As she arrived behind him, he turned his head toward her. ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡± Nico nodded. ¡°You?¡±

    Vynn eyed her suspiciously. He then nodded slowly. ¡°You got it? Seriously? How do you know that thing isn¡¯t just going to report you?¡± He scoffed and rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to get yourself killed. I¡¯m not letting you drag me down too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not dragging you down!¡± Nico snapped at him quickly before looking around to make sure no one was looking. ¡°Look, you¡¯re right. There is no guarantee that my plan works. No way of actually knowing until tomorrow. But I¡¯m the one who will pay for it if it doesn¡¯t work, not you.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you two! Get moving.¡± The guards called out to them, motioning for them to follow the rest.

    Nico nodded toward the doors as she whispered to Vynn. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do a single thing other than get people ready to move if those doors open. If they do, we escape. If they don¡¯t, you pretend it never happened.¡± She looked over at him directly, staring into his eyes confidently. ¡°It will work though. I promise you. When those doors open, there is no turning back.¡±

    Instead of bouncing back with another argument, Vynn just stared at Nico as he thought about it. Eventually, he looked over at the doors and nodded. ¡°Tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Nico nodded. She watched as he started to walk away, but she didn¡¯t follow at first. Instead, she stood back, taking a deep breath. Her lungs burned as air finally filled them up. She turned toward the end of the dock, looking out at the endless chasm between her and her destination. Her eyes travelled up the fraction of the climb that she could actually see. They rose up until Nico was looking at the ceiling. Though her view was blocked for now, she knew what lied beyond. Her ship waited up there patiently, ready to ferry her to freedom. All she had to do was get there. The table was set, and for the first time in a year, freedom was within Nico¡¯s grasp. All she had to do was take it. ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Nico whispered to herself one last time.

 The Heist

    [Past]

    The moon was bright on Ventano, just like the sun. Compared to many other planets, the light of the moon would rival that of normal sunlight. On Ventano, however, nothing could come close to the light of day. Contrary to the sun, however, the moon casted an white light with slight blue hues over the landscape. The change of time brought a change in color.

    There was no darkness for Nicoash to hide in. The shadows that she could creep around in were far too few. It was like trying to sneak around in the light of day. Unlike on the streets of Ventano, Nicoash couldn¡¯t hide in plain sight. If she was seen at all, it was over.

    The sounds of footsteps and yelling echoed through the streets as the pirates tried to figure out what to do about the Nexus eating all of their nerfs. Nicoash hid with her back against a building, watching as a handful of pirates ran out into the streets, loading their weapons. A grin slowly crept onto her face as they ran past her.

    She quickly jolted into action, stepping out from the corner and walking over in the direction that the pirates had come from. She stayed hunched over, low to the ground, focused on keeping her footsteps light and quick. For now, the dirt roads were helping, but that wouldn¡¯t last long.

    A few more pirates rounded the corner, and Nicoash immediately dived into cover in one of the nearby alleys.

    ¡°What are we going to do? Should we wake the captain up?¡± The pirate sounded anxious and maybe even terrified.

    ¡°You want to wake him up and tell him how we kriffed up with the nerfs, then you go do it.¡± This one sounded annoyed and far more gruff. He clearly was much much older. ¡°Someone get that damned force field up and running. We can deal with the stragglers left inside.¡±

    Nicoash listened as a few of the footsteps slipped off in a different direction, presumably toward the forcefield controls. She had a time limit.

    Once the footsteps were all far enough away, Nicoash slid out from her hiding place and started making her way up the path again, constantly on the lookout for more pirates. As she arrived at the townhall, she looked up at the building curiously, considering how easy it might be to walk right in. Just as the thought crossed her mind, however, the doors to the hall screeched open. Nicoash quickly ran up to the hall and slipped behind a stack of boxes.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a couple of beasts, right? With a couple of blaster rifles and maybe some detonators, it should be easy.¡± The two pirates paused right outside of the doors. As they talked.

    Nicoash rolled her eyes. They could never make it easy for her. She looked up at the metal awning that stretched out over her. She took a few careful steps around while staying out of sight to look over it. Sure enough, there was a window on top of it. Another grin crept on her face as she turned to face the building right next to her. It should be tall enough.

    The pirates continued conversing about how stupid their peers were for not locking up the nerfs while Nicoash climbed up on a dumpster. She hopped up and grabbed the edge of the building, making a loud sound as she pushed off the dumpster. Immediately, the conversation stopped.

    ¡°Dank ferrik¡­¡± Nicoash grumbled under her breath before focusing back on the task at hand. She pulled on the edge to try and get herself up, but she had never been the athletic sort. This was much harder than she thought it would be. She could hear the footsteps creeping up and she knew she was running out of time. So, she dug her feet in and pushed up while pulling as hard as she could. As soon as she was able to make a little bit of progress, she was able to grab onto a pipe on the roof and pull up harder.

    The two pirates rounded the corner with blasters held up high, but as they looked in the alley, it was empty. They pointed their blasters around, searching for the source of the noise. Eventually, one of them lowered his blaster, shaking his head. ¡°Must have been a mouse or some kark. Come on, we should probably get moving.¡±

    Nicoash finally exhaled as she heard the two pirates walking away. Once the footsteps were gone, she shifted around and poked her head up over the roof. Seeing that the alley was empty, for now, she stood up and took a few steps back. ¡°Alright. Come on, Vesdani. Almost there.¡± She took in a deep breath before breaking into a sprint. She jumped over the gap, landing on the awning with a loud slam. Nicoash knew that anyone nearby heard that as well, so there was no time to waste. She quickly opened up the window and crawled inside.

    The halls of the building were illuminated with yellow sconces that seemed unable to bring any sort of color or vibrancy to the dingy gray halls. The walls felt like they were closing in around her, threatening to swallow her up forever. Nicoash imagined that this must be what a prison looks like. It had to be what a prison felt like.

    Nicoash quickly started moving again. Now she could really hear her footsteps echoing against the hard floor. She was just thankful that the sound of pirates fighting Nexus had started to get louder. As Nicoash reached a set of stairs on her left, a few pirates rounded the corner down the hall. She darted down the steps, out of view, and opened up the door at the bottom.

    As she stepped inside the room, all she could see were weapons. There were tables and racks scattered throughout the room that were filled with them. Blasters, explosives, and anything else that could be used to kill someone. Nicoash took a breath and shook her head, making her way for the exit across the room. As she got close, she heard footsteps and voices on the other side. She dropped to the ground and rolled under one of the nearby tables just before the door slid open and a handful of pirates wandered in.

    ¡°How have they still not gotten that force field up? There is no way it¡¯s that hard. This planet isn¡¯t that advanced at tech,¡± one of the women said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Apparently there is some issue with it.¡± The sound of blasters being grabbed echoed throughout the room as the pirates started arming themselves. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s up to the extermination crew, huh?¡±

    They all laughed before heading out the opposite door. Once they were gone, Nicoash rolled out of her hiding place and got up to her feet. She stared at the door that they had left from while backing up to her own exit and pressing the button to open it. She then whipped around and quickly crept down the hallway. She rounded the corner at the end of the hall and turned to see her goal. It was the door to the former mayor¡¯s office. If the captain of the pirates was anywhere, it had to be there.

    She crept up to the door and started to reach up to press the button, but then a realization struck her. If he wasn¡¯t asleep and she just opened the door, then of course he would see her. She pursed her lips as she backed up. There had to be some other way inside. Her gaze wandered up to the ceiling where she saw the grate of a vent. She grinned before turning around and following the presumed path of the vent down the hall until she reached another door. This door looked different than the others and had a clear warning sign on the front. It had to be a maintenance room.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Nicoash popped the door open and jolted inside, closing it behind her. The room was surrounded by dark walls with bright lights and exposed wiring. It was filled with a variety of tools. On one end, Nicoash found exactly what she was looking for. She picked up a hydrospanner and pushed a box up against the wall so that she could climb onto it and access the vent at the top of the wall. She used the hydrospanner to unfasten a few of the bolts and pull the grate out. She then pocketed the hydrospanner and tossed the grate to the side. The grate impacted a table with a loud clang, but Nicoash was already climbing up into the vent.

    The vent was small and probably difficult to traverse for most, but Nicoash fit inside without any trouble. She started crawling down the labyrinth of ventilation shafts, guided mostly by her own general sense of direction. As she arrived at the grate above the hall that she had first seen, she heard footsteps under her. She shook her head and kept going. Just a little further.

    The shaft snaked around and eventually she reached another grate on the side. She peered through to see Vesho himself passed out on the bed at the edge of the room. Nicoash grinned as she used her hydrospanner to pry open the grate. The grate flew off the wall and Nicoash quickly jerked forward, catching it before it could hit the ground. She stared at Vesho with wide eyes, waiting for him to stir, but he didn¡¯t. Nicoash sighed and slowly set the grate down on a desk under her before stepping out of the ventilation shaft and into the room below.

    The glint of light reflecting against gold caught her eye, directing her attention to a table next to the bed where Vesho had left the ring. Nicoash slowly and carefully inched forward, watching him for any signs of movement as she drew closer. Once she arrived at the table, she picked the ring up and held it up in front of her. A smile crept on her face as she inspected it. Finally, she got what she came for. The smile remained painted on her face while she put the ring in her pocket.

    Outside, she heard unintelligible murmuring and footsteps getting close to the door. Cutting her celebration short, she whipped around and bolted back to the vent as quietly as she could. She was just barely able to make it inside before the door opened.

    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± He walked over to Vesho and started pushing his leg to wake up. ¡°We¡¯ve got a problem.¡±

    Vesho grumbled and groaned as he stirred, eventually pushing himself up into a sitting position. His big curly mustache was disheveled and clung to the sides of his face. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got Nexu out there wreaking havoc and we can¡¯t get the force field running. We figured you might be able to get the force field working since you used to work with them and-¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Vesho cut him off as he kicked his legs over the bed and stood up. ¡°I have to do everything myself around here.¡± He reached over to the table and then froze. ¡°Where¡­?¡± He started searching around the table. growing more frantic by the second. ¡°Where is my ring!?¡±

    That was Nicoash¡¯s queue to leave. She started backing up in the vent before turning and starting to crawl back the way she came. Behind her, she could still hear Vesho as he started to yell.

    ¡°That kid! That kriffing kid!¡± Vesho¡¯s voice echoed through the vent, suddenly making Nicoash realize her mistake. She didn¡¯t close the vent. ¡°She stole my kriffing ring! Broke the kriffing force field!¡± The sound of footsteps echoed through the vent as she kept crawling.

    Nicoash reached the grate on the floor of the vent that overlooked the hallway in front of the office just as Vesho met with a few of the pirates under it. She peered down at the group and listened.

    ¡°Boss, how do you know that-¡±

    ¡°I kriffing know!¡± Vesho looked at the pirate with rage in his eyes. ¡°Who else do you think could have done that to a force field? She wants my kriffing ring! And now she¡¯s got it!¡± He turned to one of the others and pointed at his chest aggressively. ¡°How did you let some kid get through the town without being noticed? How incompetent are you scudsuckers?¡±

    ¡°In our defense,¡± the pirate he was pointing at piped up nervously, ¡°you didn¡¯t notice her in your room either¡­.¡±

    Vesho blinked at him for a few moments before reaching his hand out to the other pirate. ¡°Can I see your blaster for a second?¡±

    Nervously, the pirate pulled out his blaster pistol and handed it to him. Vesho grinned at him and offered a word of thanks before turning and blasting the one who spoke. He held the smoking blaster up in the air as his lifeless corpse hit the ground. ¡°Find that kid,¡± he yelled as he pushed the blast up against the chest of the one that had given it to him. Once the blaster was taken from him, he started walking off down the hall. ¡°And kill her.¡±

    Nicoash stared down at the dead body with horror in her eyes. Footsteps echoed through the hall again, but all she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears. Things had gone too far. She wanted to scream and cry. She wanted to go home. She needed someone to save her, but no one was coming. No one could save her. Nicoash clenched her fists and tried to regain control of her breathing. She had to get out. She had to survive.

    No one was left below her. There was no time to waste. She used the hydrospanner to open up the grate under her. She kicked it off the ceiling and hopped down after it, hitting the ground shortly after the metal clang echoed through the corridors. She began quickly making her way back the way she came, but she stayed low to the ground. She couldn¡¯t get caught now.

    She rounded the corner and jumped into the room they were using as an armory. She quickly started going through the various arms that they had left there. There had to be something she could use. She found a thermal detonator and inspected it for a moment before nodding. That¡¯ll do. Behind her, she heard the door screech open again. She grabbed the nearest blaster pistol and whipped her head around, pointing it at the pirate who had entered. The pirate immediately put his hands in the air. He looked at Nicoash cautiously, but there was clear skepticism in his eyes.

    ¡°Where do you keep the speeders,¡± Nicoash questioned him with the blaster pointed right at his chest.

    The pirate started slowly lowering his arms. ¡°You¡¯re just a kid. You aren¡¯t actually going to blast me.¡±

    Nicoash gritted her teeth and whipped her arms to the side, blasting the wall next to him. She pointed the blaster toward him again as his arms shot back up into the air. ¡°You really want to bet your life on that?¡±

    The pirate inspected her for a moment longer, but much more cautiously this time. Eventually he shrugged. ¡°There is a garage. Down the hall behind you, then take a left and go down the stairs.¡±

    Nicoash nodded a few times as she started stepping toward the door. ¡°I¡­ uhm¡­ thanks.¡± That was all she could get out before she opened the door and slipped off into the hall. She started walking low to the ground again as she followed his directions.

    ¡°Over here!!!¡± The pirate screamed behind her the moment she was out of view. ¡°She is headed for the garage!!!¡±

    Nicoash¡¯s heart felt like it dropped into a bottomless pit. She could already hear the footsteps behind her. With no tricks left up her sleeve, she broke into a sprint. She ran down the hallway and whipped around the corner as she heard more pirates yelling behind her. She ran down the stairs two steps at a time and slammed the button on the door, slipping through the crack as soon as it was opened wide enough.

    Nicoash looked around at the garage. It was filled with various speeders and all of them were ready to go with just a few button presses. She could hear the pirates getting closer behind her. She looked down at the thermal detonator and pressed the button to activate it. She threw it as hard as she could at the biggest collection of speeders before turning and running away from the impending explosion. The explosion of speeders was the loudest noise Nicoash had ever heard in her life. Sparks and speeder parts flew around the room as fire engulfed the space that the speeders had once taken up. Even with her ears ringing, she couldn¡¯t slow down now. She ran around to the other working speeders and started shooting the controls with her blaster. She made sure to demolish every speeder except for one speeder bike that sat on the very edge of the garage. She hopped onto it and started flipping switches and pressing buttons.

    ¡°In here! In here,¡± one of the pirates screamed as he ran into the garage. He immediately started coughing from the smoke, and waving his hand around, trying to get sight of Nicoash as the other pirates filed in behind him.

    The engines of the speeder bike roared to life as it lifted Nicoash into the air. She grabbed onto the handlebars and revved the engine. The bike zoomed forward just as blaster bolts started to fly past her head.

    Nicoash immediately pulled the bike around as she flew out into the town, narrowly avoiding the buildings in front of her and continuing out onto the street. The speeder raced through the streets, quickly reaching high speeds as Nicoash refused to let off the gas. The wind blew her hair and jacket all over the place, threatening to throw her small frame off the bike entirely, but Nicoash kept a grip on the bike so tight that her knuckles started to turn white. A few of the pirates ran out into the street in front of her, firing blaster bolts in her direction. Nicoash dipped her head down to avoid the incoming fire before quickly pulling one of the handlebars back. The bike hit the turn faster than it could handle, causing it to skid toward the pirates on its side. Just as the bike started to slow, however, Nicoash hit the throttle. The engines roared to life again and the bike whizzed off into the much bigger street, far away from the pirates that blocked her original path.

    There were no more pirates left on the path. There were no more nexu. She had a straight shot. At least, she thought she did. Then she caught a glimpse of a familiar bright red glow out of the corner of her eyes. She shot her head up to try and see over the buildings. She watched in horror as the force field fence had already started its path around the town, connecting the massive electronic posts one at a time. She had mere seconds before it blocked her path.

    Nicoash turned to look down the path once again. She took in a deep breath, letting the wind that threatened to throw her off fill up her lungs instead. She then furrowed her brow and leaned forward, hitting the throttle as hard as she could. The bike picked up more and more speed by the second as the force field closed in around her. She gritted her teeth harder with each passing moment, pulling on the throttle so hard that she threatened to rip it straight off the handlebar. The red walls of light reached her peripheral vision. There was one fence post left. She let out a loud, guttural scream as the forcefield started spreading from the last two fence posts, covering her peripheral vision more and more until¡­.

    The eruption of the engine behind her was all that Nicoash could hear as she passed through the edge of the forcefield. She lost control of the bike, and it started hurtling toward the ground. She quickly pushed herself off the seat and dived off of the bike. She landed into a group of bushes just outside of the town as her bike hit the ground and flipped. It rolled and bounced against the ground a few times before exploding in a ball of fire.

    Nicoash panted as she watched the bike explode. Her thoughts slowly caught up with the events that had transpired. She turned to look at the force field behind her, which now completely closed the town off from entry or exit. A small laugh escaped her lips. Then another. Finally, she broke into a loud and excited laugh. ¡°Woohoo! I kriffing did it,¡± She cried as she pushed herself out of the bush. There was nothing in the galaxy that could wipe that smile off her face now.

 The Climb

    [Present]

    The silence was so loud Nico could hardly think. Today there was no chatter. There was only soundless anticipation. Everyone waited with baited breath for those doors to open. This was it. This was the only shot any of them would ever have at freedom.

    Kell was breathing heavily next to Nico. His hands shook uncontrollably as he tried to keep up the illusion of working. Nico looked over at him. She watched him shake for only a moment before reaching her hand over and resting it on his lap. He looked over at her with fear so palpable it threatened to swallow Nico up as well if she let it. Instead, she shook her head and gave his thigh a little squeeze. Words didn¡¯t need to be shared for him to know what she meant. Things were going to be okay.

    Vynn glanced at the door for the thousandth time this shift. He knew each second was one second closer to freedom. He turned toward the rest of the inmates, giving them a nod. Each of the inmates had their tools at the ready.

    Then, the moment came. The defense turrets powered down, lowering their heads to the ground. The doors screeched open, one after the other. In the confusion, two guards quickly grabbed their blaster rifles and stepped into the hallway connecting the work bay to the rest of the facility. They raised their weapons. ¡°Everybody, stay where you are!¡±

    Silence filled the room once again for the briefest moment as every single inmate in the room had to make the final decision. Then, Vynn screamed out as loud as he could, ¡°Now!!!¡±

    All of the inmates started yelling as they started throwing tools at the two guards. The guards were only able to fire off a shot or two before they found themselves being pelted by hydrospanners and cargo grippers. The cargo loaders ran forward in the confusion, closing the gap between them quicker than the guards could lift their weapons again.

    Nico pushed herself up from where she had been working and ran forward while the rest of the inmates followed behind her. The cargo loaders started beating the guards senseless, and Nico watched as Vynn killed one with the handle of his cargo gripper. He grabbed the guard¡¯s blaster rifle and ran forward, blasting the remaining guard. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Another one of the cargo loaders grabbed the remaining blaster rifle and the two armed inmates ran into the observation room. They quickly blasted the remaining guards before they could raise their weapons. One of the observation officers managed to hit the alarm button just before a blaster bolt collided with his chest and he fell back into his chair, lifeless. Vynn ran up to a rack that was filled with blaster rifles, ushering in the remaining inmates. ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡±

    The inmates scrambled over each other to try and arm themselves as the alarm blared around them. Nico took a few calm steps into the room before bending over and picking up one of the blaster rifles belonging to a deceased guard. She raised it up in the air and gave Vynn a nod.

    Vynn nodded back before shouting again. ¡°Shoot every guard you see! It¡¯s your life or theirs! Come on!¡±

    Once most of the inmates were armed, the group started running forward. Nico motioned for Kell to follow. ¡°Come on. Now or never.¡±

    ¡°Now or never,¡± he repeated to her before turning and following the horde of inmates.

    The sounds of blaster fire echoed through the corridors of the prison. The once bleak, black walls now lit up red from the light of heated plasma. A few inmates dropped here and there, but just as many guards fell as well. Many of the guards were scrambling. The thought that the prisoners would ever try something like this had never crossed their minds. Each one fell easily. In fact, to Nico, it felt a bit too easy. She knew there were more guards in the facility than the ones they had seen.

    They reached a section of the hallway where the path forked off to the right, toward freedom. Straight ahead, however, Nico knew her belongings were waiting for her. The moment the inmates rounded the corner, however, the source of Nico¡¯s worry became apparent. A horde of guards with riot shields were waiting down the hallway. The moment the inmates revealed themselves, they started firing.

    So many inmates were immediately cut down that Nico could hardly process it all. Their number dropped down by more than a third. Still, the inmates kept firing and pushing. Kell rounded the corner and began firing on the guards. He only got a few missed shots off before a blaster bolt collided with his shoulder and then another hit him right in the chest. The impact of the blaster bolts sent him flying backwards, joining the rest of the dead inmates.

    Nico watched with wide eyes as she fell. She gritted her teeth and turned away, yelling to the other inmates. ¡°Back the kriff up!¡±

    On command, the inmates ducked behind the cover of the corners. Nico could hear the footsteps of hard, armored boots against metal as the guards advanced. She immediately twisted her blaster around in her hand and started taking it apart.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯ve got another trick up your sleeve, kid!¡± Vynn called over to her as he occasionally looked around the corner and fired off a stray shot in an attempt to slow down their impending doom.

    ¡°Just one,¡± Nico answered as she pulled the sturm dowel out of her blaster¡¯s power pack. She then pushed her back up against the wall and twisted her body around, throwing her blaster at the group of guards with all the power she could muster. The sound of blaster fire was replaced with the piercing sound of an explosion. As Nico heard the blaster fire stop, she used her entire arm to motion for the group to continue. ¡°Now! Go! Go! Go!¡±

    The inmates quickly darted into the hall and started firing again. The group slowly moved forward as they began cutting down the disoriented guards one by one. Soon, the blaster fire was returned again, but the organization that had given the guards an edge was gone. It was an all-out firefight now.

    Nico ran over to the center of the hallway, looking out to see the inmates pressing forward. She watched for a moment longer before nodding. It was time. She turned and ran straight forward down the hallway, away from the firefight. She opened up a door at the end of the hall and ran into the room filled with lockers. It took her seconds to find the one where they had left her stuff. ¡°1 7 0 8 9,¡± she muttered out loud as she punched the code in. The light on the locker switched from red to green, and she immediately yanked it open. She grabbed her bag, checking it briefly to make sure everything was inside before throwing it on her shoulder. She then ran off back down the hallway.

    She paused as she reached the hallway where the firefight raged on. The inmates had gained considerable ground, but they still were taking heavy losses. Nico looked down where Kell had fallen. Her eyes locked with his lifeless ones. That bright smile that he once had was gone, replaced with an infinite cold, dead stare. Nico closed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head. She straightened her bag on her shoulder and turned around, sprinting off toward the work bay. She grabbed a commlink off the body of one of the guards on the way, switching it to the next frequency.

    ¡°Viz! If you can hear me, I am headed to the climb now. Get to the work bay as fast as you can.¡± She stuffed the commlink into her pocket and ran through the doors into the bay. She reached one of the work tables and looked out the hangar at the climb across the chasm. She reached into her bag and started reaching around, panting from all of the running and nerves.

    ¡°So, this was your plan all along?¡± A familiar voice came from behind Nico. ¡°Hands out of the bag and on your head.¡± Nico complied, putting her hands on her head as she slowly turned around to see Vynn with a blaster pointed at her. ¡°So, all of this was¡­ what, a distraction? Keep the guards off you while you get away in a starship?¡±

    Nico quickly darted her eyes around, assessing her surroundings before speaking. ¡°How many of them do you think are actually going to make it out? And how many do you think will survive on the streets of Manda without getting caught again? I needed a guarantee." She sighed, letting her posture relax. "I was going to tell you¡­.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on. You really expect me to believe that.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re smart, kid. I¡¯m not going to lie. I didn¡¯t expect this from you. So what¡¯s next? You climb up and just escape? What about the launch codes?¡±

    ¡°The droid has them.¡± Nico spoke plainly without hesitation. ¡°He is on his way here. We were going to pick him up and then get out of here.¡±

    ¡°We?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here, are you not? I knew you would figure it out. Afterall, you are the one who taught me.¡± She took a deep breath and relaxed her posture. ¡°For years, I dreamt of you coming back to save me. To take me off Ventano. Even after you left me, all I ever wanted was to travel the stars with you. Every night, I imagined you coming back to Ventano to pick me up. I imagined all of the adventures we would have in the galaxy¡­ all of the things we could steal! It is all I ever wanted. And now is my chance.¡± She slowly started lowering her hands as she talked. She spoke confidently and genuinely, starting to use her hands to enunciate her point. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you because I needed you to believe they had a chance. I was a kid when you tricked me, so it was easy. But I know from experience, you¡¯re not a good liar. They wouldn¡¯t follow you if you weren¡¯t sure. So I hung back. I let you see me come in here so we could escape together.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Vynn¡¯s blaster slowly lowered as she spoke, and his gaze lowered along with it. When his eyes shot back up, however, his blaster didn¡¯t. ¡°And what¡¯s stopping me from just taking the ship and droid for myself?¡±

    When his gaze lowered, Nico moved her hand behind her, starting to feel around for a tool on the table. ¡°You¡¯re not a good liar, but I also know you¡¯re not stupid. The droid only listens to me.¡± Seeing that he was still a bit unsure, Nico growled in frustration. ¡°Come on! We don¡¯t have time for this. The guards could be here any second.¡±

    He nodded slowly, letting his blaster rest fully at his side. ¡°Alright kid, you¡¯ve convinced me.¡± He took a few steps forward before turning to look at the climb. ¡°So, how are we getting across the gap?¡±

    Nico wrapped her fingers around a wrench. The moment his back was turned to her, she pulled it around and slammed it into his head. Vynn fell to the ground with a yelp of pain, dropping his blaster. He tried to turn around and reach for it, but Nico managed to grab it first. She raised the blaster up and pointed it at his face as he looked at her with pleading eyes. ¡°Be careful who you trust,¡± she repeated to him as she squeezed the trigger. Her face was drowned in red light for the briefest moment as she fired a singular blaster bolt at his head. As he slumped to the ground, lifeless, she tossed the blaster to the side.

    She reached into her bag again and pulled out a grappling line. She unwrapped it as she broke into a sprint toward the edge of the hangar. She swung the hook around it a few times before throwing it up at a pipe that jutted out over the chasm. She pulled it tight as it wrapped around it and kept running for the edge. She held onto the line tightly before jumping off the edge of the dock. She immediately felt a gust of wind against her as the ground beneath her disappeared and her legs dangled over the infinite void below her. As the line reached the end of its arc, she let go, hurtling herself toward the wall.

    Her body collided with the wall and bounced off. She reached up and grabbed a pipe before she could fall, causing her body to pull back in and collide with the wall again. She grunted, losing her breath from the impact. She found a hole for her feet, steadying herself as she looked down over her shoulder. The pit below her seemed limitless. One wrong move and she¡¯d be swallowed up by it. She took one last moment to collect herself before looking up and reaching for the next section of wall. She started climbing slowly, using pipes and grates and anything that was grabbable to push herself upward. She reached up for a wet pipe and pulled, but she immediately faltered and fell. In a panic, she reached out and grabbed the first thing that she could find, catching herself on a small circular peg. Before she could slip again, she dug her feet in and looked up, reaching for the next grabbable section. There was no time to slow down.

    Behind her, the alarm continued to wail. She heard the muffled sound of a voice over an intercom coming from inside, but she couldn¡¯t tell what it said. Instead, she kept climbing. Bit by bit she pulled herself up. She struggled to keep her grip as the wind only seemed to get stronger. Her hair had grown much longer in captivity, making it impossible for her to see through it when the wind blew it in her face. Her clothes clung tightly to one side of her body with strength that Nico envied as each step became harder than the last.

    She reached up for a pipe, but just before her hand reached it, a blaster bolt collided with it. Nico paused and turned around to see a few of the guards in the hangar down below. They each had blaster rifles trained on her and were firing in her direction, peppering the wall around her. Nico was saved only by distance and poor aim at this point.

    ¡°Dank ferrik,¡± she muttered under her breath. She held onto the wall tightly with one hand as she reached into her bag with the other to find her commlink. She raised the commlink to her mouth as she looked up. ¡°Viz! I need you to deal with those guards now!¡±

    The robotic voice of her newly acquired companion came through shortly after. ¡°I am not - programmed for any - sort of - violence. That is not - my primary - directive.¡±

    Nico gritted her teeth as she pulled the commlink up again. ¡°I don¡¯t give a kriff what you were programmed for! Right now, you have a new primary directive. Protect me!¡± She stuffed the commlink back in her pocket before starting to climb again.

    Blaster bolts continued to fly all around her, colliding with the wall and spraying sparks all around Nico. Parts of the wall came off in some places, hurtling down into the endless pit below. Nico never stopped moving, however. She couldn¡¯t stop moving. She continued from one step to the next. As she stepped onto a section of wall that only barely connected with the rest, a blaster bolt flew into one of the hinges and caused it to falter. The right side of the section dropped down before the whole thing started to swing around, taking Nico with it. Nico gritted her teeth and jumped off it, catching herself on a nearby pipe just before the section fully disconnected and fell off the wall. ¡°Come on,¡± she yelled at no one. She could hardly even hear herself over the wind and blaster bolts.

    As she finally stabilized, she looked up just as a blaster bolt collided with a grate and caused it to disconnect, falling straight down at Nico. Nico let out a yelp of surprise before pushing off the wall as hard as she could and jumping off to the right. She just barely managed to catch herself on an antenna before the grate hit right where her hands previously were. It broke the pipe completely, causing it to swing out a spray water all over Nico¡¯s side. Nico shook her head and kept climbing. ¡°Come on, Viz!!¡±

    She heard a loud crash and turned around, seeing a box swing around and collide with a few of the guards. Some of them fell to the ground, while others were sent hurtling off the edge. Nico couldn¡¯t help but grin. That grin didn¡¯t last long, however, as her gaze raised up to the turrets that had been trained on the wall. Lights began flashing on them. They were booting up.

    ¡°Kriff!¡± Nico turned around and kept climbing. She was almost there. She was almost free. She just had to make it a little bit further. Just a few more steps and she would be out of harm¡¯s way. She reached up, curling her fingers around the edge of the hangar where her ticket out rested. Before she could pull herself up any further, however, a stray blaster bolt collided with her leg.

    Nico screeched in pain, whipping her head around to see that some of the disoriented guards were back up and shooting. She gritted her teeth as she tried to push her leg up against the wall again, but it was too much. The searing pain was blinding. Putting her weight on it felt like her leg was going to explode. ¡°Come on!!!¡± She pleaded with nothing, looking up at the ledge she held onto. She was so close.

    She could hear the sound of the turrets stirring to life. She gritted her teeth and shook her head. She wasn¡¯t dying here. She pushed her wounded leg up against the wall and pulled with all her might. She let out a scream so loud that she could actually hear it this time. She couldn¡¯t think or see anything at this point. All she felt was intense, blinding pain, and an unyielding drive to survive. She pulled herself over the ledge and rolled into the hangar just as a flurry of heavy blaster bolts collided with the wall where she had been, filling the air with sparks and parts of the wall.

    Nico laid on her back in the hangar, panting loudly. She opened her eyes, greeted with the view of bright lights on the ceiling of the hangar bay. She wasn¡¯t dead. Not yet.

    She rolled around and pushed herself up to her feet. She limped toward the ship as fast as she could while trying to keep weight off her leg. The ship was a large lethisk-class freighter. Nico didn¡¯t know much about ships, but it seemed pretty fancy. She hobbled up the ramp on the side and into the ship. The interior was certainly more fancy than she had been inspecting, but it was caked in a layer of dust so thick that she left foot prints. She quickly made her way to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot¡¯s seat, letting out a sigh of relief when she didn¡¯t have to walk anymore.

    ¡°Ok. Should be easy, right? Just like Theia¡¯s ship.¡± She started flipping switches and pressing buttons all around the cockpit to power the ship on. With great difficulty, the engines slowly whirred to life. ¡°Come on, I know you can do it.¡± She encouraged the ship as she wrapped her fingers around the controls. ¡°You get me out of this, and I¡¯ll give you all the love you deserve.¡±

    She pulled back on the controls, bringing the ship up into the air. Slowly, she turned the ship around and pulled it out of the hangar. The moment she hit the open air, however, those turrets started pelting the sides of the ship. ¡°Fratz,¡± Nico yelled as the ship stuttered and jerked from the incoming blaster fire. She reached into her bag and pulled out her commlink while pressing the controls forward. The ship picked up speed and flew off into the dark chasm.

    ¡°Viz,¡± Nico screamed into the commlink as she pushed the ship down and around, making a u-turn in the air. ¡°When I tell you to jump, I need you to kriffing jump, got it?¡± She didn¡¯t wait for a response before picking up speed back toward the hangar. She twisted the ship around to its side with the side ramp facing upward toward the hangar. She started counting in her head as she kept the ship at a fast but consistent speed in its approach to the hangar. She then screamed into the commlink, ¡°jump! Now!¡±

    She could see the red surveillance droid float off the edge and start falling down toward her. She hit the throttle and caught the droid in the exit ramp without stopping. After hearing the thud of Viz landing in the ship behind her, she straightened the ship out and closed the ramp, starting her ascent. The turrets continued to fire at her, but she was going too fast for them at this point.

    ¡°Viz! Upload those codes, now!¡± She gripped the controls harder as she slowly arced her ascent upward. The ship came speeding out of the chasm, giving Nico her first view of Manda since she had arrived.

    Viz quickly got to work behind her after picking himself up off the ground. He floated over to the console next to her and inserted a scomplink that came out of one of his claws. The scomplink twisted and turned, clicking repeatedly in Nico¡¯s ear.

    The ship ascended up into the clouds that surrounded Manda and then broke through them, leaving that atmosphere. Then, Nico saw it. There was a massive imperial harrower looming over the planet, blotting out the sun from view entirely. It was a source of eternal night over the planet now.

    ¡°Viz,¡± Nico yelled in panic as the harrower got closer and closer. The turrets on the ship all began turning in their directions, priming themselves to fire. ¡°Hurry up!¡±

    Viz didn¡¯t say a word in response. Just as the turrets locked on, they started to power down. Nico¡¯s ship zoomed past the turrets and above the harrower as she celebrated, ¡°Yes!¡± Before she could even think of jumping to lightspeed, however, three imperial starfighters flew out of the hangar and twisted around toward Nico. ¡°No!¡±

    Nico twisted the controls around and dived the ship down to avoid the incoming fire from the blaster cannons of the starfighters. ¡°Viz! I need you on the guns!¡±

    ¡°That is not - something that-¡±

    ¡°Primary directive!¡± Nico cut him off as she continued to pull around evasively. Without another word, Viz floated back to access the guns in the back.

    Shortly after, Nico¡¯s ship started returning blaster fire at the starfighters behind them, causing the group to scatter evasively. Viz managed to take out one of the starfighters before it could react, but the other two zoomed off to regroup.

    Nico started flying across the top of the harrower, twisting around obstacles as the starfighters came back around. She flew directly for the bridge of the ship toward the back. The starfighters straightened behind Nico¡¯s ship in pursuit, resuming fire once again.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Nico yelled as the ship zoomed toward the bridge. Just before they reached it, Nico pulled up. The bottom of the ship grazed against the wall under the bridge, causing sparks to spray out. One of the starfighters, however, wasn¡¯t so lucky. As Nico¡¯s ship zoomed out of the way, the starfighter couldn¡¯t pull up in time. It collided with the wall and exploded.

    Nico flew the ship upwards and away from the flagship as the remaining starfighter pulled up and followed closely behind. As the starfighter locked on again, it resumed fire. A few of the shots hit their mark, colliding with the side of one of the engines. Nico quickly put all of the power into the reverse thrusters, causing her ship to suddenly come to a halt. The starfighter zoomed off past her, unaware of her plan. The moment the fighter came into view, Nico fired the forward facing cannons, destroying it.

    ¡°Take that, scudsuckers.¡± Nico grinned as she activated the forward thrusters again. The damaged engine sputtered, spraying sparks behind her, but the ship still continued to fly for now. She spun around and started flying away from the harrower.

    ¡°I believe - they are sending more-¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Nico retorted before turning to the navcomputer. As she went to select her coordinates for a jump to hyperspace, she froze. Everything was wrong. She had seen a working navcomputer before and every single thing on this one was wrong. ¡°Why¡­ what is wrong with the navcomputer?¡±

    ¡°This ship - is approximately - three hundred years old. It is - likely it has - never been properly - updated.¡± Viz floated into the cockpit behind Nico.

    ¡°Can¡­ you do something about that?¡± Nico looked back at Viz.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Nico groaned and closed her eyes, turning back around. She shut her eyes tighter, taking in a deep breath. ¡°We have to make a blind jump.¡±

    ¡°The odds of - surviving-¡±

    ¡°I get it!¡± Nico opened her eyes again and grabbed the hyperspace controls. ¡°The odds of surviving here are zero though.¡± She gripped the handle of the lever tightly. ¡°Come on, Force. Be on my side, for once. Please¡­.¡± She waited a few seconds, letting her prayer hang in the air. She then slammed the lever forward. The stars around the viewport suddenly blurred and then zipped past her, flooding the cockpit in blue light as the ship entered hyperspeed.

    Nico was just about to pull the ship out of the jump, but the ship did it for her. Suddenly, the damaged engine exploded. The explosion immediately ripped her out of hyperspace, dropping her in the atmosphere of a neighboring planet. Before Nico could even react to the explosion, the gravitational pull of the planet started to pull her ship into it.

    ¡°Kark!¡± Nico grabbed the controls with both hands again and tried to use the remaining engines to regain control over the ship. ¡°Kriff! Fratz! Hold on!¡± Viz started floating around in confusion to see what he could grab onto with his little claws.

    The planet was covered in water with various large islands dotted around. Nico could tell where she was immediately as she had been there many times before. Rishi. Nico twisted the ship around and used the remaining thrusters to direct the ship toward one of the bigger islands. The ground came at her so fast she didn¡¯t have time to formulate any plan other than hope she survives. The ship collided with the ground with a boom so loud it could probably be heard for miles. The moment she hit the ground, Nico was forcefully jolted forward, hitting her head against the controls. In an instant, it was over.

 Nicoash Vesdani

    [Past/Present]

    Sunlight started to creep into Nicoash¡¯s room as she finally arrived home. Her parents would wake up soon, and they would probably easily discover what she had been up to the night before. Right now, that didn¡¯t matter to her. She held the gold ring up high. The sun reflected off of its smooth, shining surface, blasting Nicoash¡¯s face with light. She did it.

    Nicoash walked over to her bedside table. She picked up a framed picture of her family that her mother had placed there in an effort to ¡°decorate¡± her room a bit more. She tossed it to the side before setting the ring down in its place. She couldn¡¯t help but smile the widest she probably ever had as she admired it.

    ¡°One day¡­ I¡¯m gonna get out of here¡­.¡±

    <hr>

    Years later, within the wreckage of the ship that she had stolen to escape, Nico slowly began to regain consciousness. She groaned, reaching up to rub her head as she pushed herself off the console she had been laying on. She panted deeply, scanning her surroundings to remind herself of where she was. She did it.

    She slowly pushed herself to her feet, wincing in pain from the wound to her leg as well as whatever other injuries she sustained in the crash. Right now, that didn¡¯t matter. Words flashed into her mind: memories of the promise she had made to herself as a child.

    I¡¯m gonna leave this planet behind, and I¡¯m gonna see the galaxy.

    She started to limp her way through the ship, leaning against the slanted walls to keep herself up. She inspected the ship as she walked, smirking to herself. It was damaged, sure, but it was definitely fixable. She imagined what the ship would look like one day when she would make it her own.

    I¡¯m gonna have my own ship¡­Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    She rounded a corner toward the back of the ship to find Viz deactivated on the floor. She knelt down next to him to inspect the damage. He was also fixable.

    ¡­my own crew¡­

    She pushed herself back up to her feet and limped over to where she had tossed her bag when she entered the ship. She picked it up and opened it, peering inside.

    ¡­and no one is going to be able to tell me where to go or what to do¡­

    She reached into the bag, fishing her hands around for a moment. She pushed aside her slicing kit and her security spike until her fingers felt a familiar thread. She curled her fingers around it and pulled it out of the bag. As the object was freed from the confines of the bag, what lights still worked in the ship reflected off a familiar shining object. Connected to the thread that she had pulled was the ring that she had stolen from the pirates all those years ago.

    ¡­or what I can do.

    Nico couldn¡¯t help but grin at the ring. She pulled the thread over her head, wearing the ring like a necklace as she stood up again.

    I¡¯m gonna show them. I¡¯m gonna show them all.

    Nico dropped her bag to the ground and started limping again. This time, she made her way over to the exit ramp. She reached up and slammed her fist on the button. The hydraulic cylinders screeched and the sound of metal scraping against metal pierced her ears as the ramp slowly began to lower.

    Because one day, the whole galaxy is going to know my name.

    Nico slowly limped down the slanted ramp, stepping off into the grass below it. Fresh air filled her lungs for the first time in over a year. She looked around at the rocky outcroppings that surrounded the wreckage of her ship.

    Not as the little farm girl from Ventano, but as the greatest thief and pilot this galaxy has ever known.

    Sunlight began to creep over the rocks, illuminating Nico¡¯s ship. She looked in the direction that the light was coming from before turning to look at her ship. She took a deep breath before walking up to it and reaching up to grab onto parts of the hull that jutted out. She climbed up on top of the ship and crawled over to the back of it before standing up.

    They¡¯re going to know me as the girl who has seen it all and lived to tell the tale.

    A sudden rush of wind blew through her hair, pushing her curly locks out of her face. Nico closed her eyes and smiled at the feeling. She really was free. She opened them once again and looked out at the horizon.

    The girl who can do anything.

    In the distance, the sun slowly crested over the horizon, once again bringing light and life to a vibrant planet. It may not be as bright as Ventano, but right now it was the brightest thing Nico had experienced in a long time. As a child, she thought nothing of it, but now the relief of finally seeing the sun again was enough to make her fall to her knees. Just like on Ventano, there was nowhere she could hide from it, but right now she didn¡¯t want to.