Chapter 1
"It doesn't matter what it was. One day it could be something really important, what if I fail then as well? Maybe it doesn't matter this time, but how can I be trusted to go on missions when I can't recover a forcelance?" The Maru doors closed in Trance's face. She sighed and walked off. Beka would come around eventually.
She grabbed a flexi and forcefully threw it at the wall.
"I can't believe I did that," she mumbled. Her thoughts went back to earlier that day. They had been on a diplomatic mission on another ship to discuss them joining the commonwealth. The negotiations had went well, but Dylan had brought his forcelance for security measures. Suddenly, a young man had ran up to him, grabbed his forcelance and ran away. He was very fast and quickly got to the upper level. Beka had grabbed a pipe to climb up and follow him, but was very embarrassed when the pipe broke in half and fell down. The young man had turned around, laughed and kept on running. The ambassador had reassured them that the pipe was weak and it didn't matter, and that they'd get the forcelance back. To Beka, it didn't matter though.
"What if it really matters some day?" she thought as she slumped down in the pilot's chair. "What if I really need to follow someone and I can't?" She thought back on the young man's face when the pipe broke. His face had been shining with glee. She knew what everyone had been thinking. She made such a fool out of herself.
"What do I do?" she pondered. She knew Dylan wasn't happy with her. She knew he'd be thinking the same thing as her; what if it matters next time? He hadn't said anything, but she knew.
"I need to do something about it," she thought angrily. "Normally I'd work out more to get fitter, but that's hardly going to stop things from breaking when I hang off them. The other way around, more likely." She looked around her.
"There's only one thing I can think of," she thought, "I need to become lighter. Then I can hang off things without breaking them, and I can run faster as well. It's the best solution." She sighed, "that means I have to cut down on what I eat." She knew she didn't eat much anyway, but avoided the thought. "I could stop eating meat and have salads instead." She felt a bit happier already. "And I'll try to work out more as well." Feeling happier, she got up and prepared to go meet Dylan to discuss how to get the forcelance back.