"Welcome passenger number 679," said the droid at the check-in desk. His cheerful, modulated voice made him sound like he was greeting an old friend, perhaps in an attempt to make him seem personable. A scanner in his hand spit out a flickering red light. "Mordivai Quinn," the droid announced next. "Your records indicate that you are underage for solo galactic travel and have been assigned a mouse droid to accompany you. Please wear this bracelet."
"I'm almost thirteen," Mordivai said. "So I'm practically of age already."
"Yes, yes," the droid said, undeterred. "Maybe on your next trip you can fly unaccompanied."
Mordivai rolled his eyes and held out his wrist. "My mother is a Sith lord! If she were here-"
"Then you wouldn't need this wristband," the droid interrupted. If a droid's eyes could sparkle than this one's surely were. Mordivai scowled but dropped the subject. A green light blinked on the bracelet and a tiny droid the size of Mordivai's shoe scurried around the corner, stopping at his feet like a trained dog.
"Enjoy your trip!" the check-in droid said.
When Mordivai walked away, the mouse droid's wheels kicked into gear and it kept pace with him. Once he was out of sight of any onlookers, he tried running, but the droid sped up, racing after him, its tiny gears whirring and its antenna spinning like a top. Mordivai resigned himself to having the droid as his shadow all the way to Nar Shaddaa.
His holocom beeped shortly after take off, and Mordivai's father appeared. He was dressed in uniform, his face serious as always.
"How was your visit with Lord Morella?"
"Fine," Mordivai said automatically. There had been nothing remarkable about his visit to see his grandmother on Korriban. He'd snuck out of bed to try and watch one of Lord Morella's famed galas, but had been caught - as always - and had spent much of his time playing "Sith and slave" with some of the other neighborhood children. The only thing different about this trip was that he was finally being allowed to travel alone at the end of it.
"It looks like your transport is scheduled to arrive on time. I'll meet you at the spaceport then. Don't get into any trouble."
"I can take care of myself, father."
"I expect that you will," Admiral Quinn answered. The holo blinked out.
00o00
Being alone on the ship that first day was exhilarating, and Mordivai spent hours exploring every hallway, lounge and dining area the ship had. There was even a casino, but when he tried to go in there, the mouse droid began beeping and spinning until Mordivai went out of range of the doorway. No one would have stopped him on Nar Shaddaa. For dinner he tried to order a Roba steak slathered in gravy and discovered to his chagrin that he was restricted to a pre-set menu for children. When I'm Sith, he thought, no one will stop me from ordering whatever I want. Afterwards, Mordivai had gotten lost trying to find his way back to his cabin. He remembered that the droid had a homing button to lead him back and decided that maybe his droid babysitter wasn't so bad after all.
At night, his excitement faded. Once the light was out in his cabin it was so black that he could only see the tiniest ray of light coming in from under the door. The ship hummed underneath him and the thought of this great passenger ship hurling through the silent vastness of space was unnerving. He lay in bed, blinking at the nothingness before him and listening to the rumbling of the ship's engines. A Sith is never afraid, he admonished himself. The mouse droid had taken up residence at the foot of his bed like a favored pet, its lens watching him in the dark. Mordivai actually felt a little better for its company.
The next day started out much like the first. Mordivai ate his allotted portion of buttered toast, but was delighted to discover a lounge set out with free pastries. He downed two of these before he was shooed out. He later came across a room showing free holovids, and he lost a few hours watching those until a documentary on gladiatorial animal handlers came on and he grew bored. He had just decided to see if the ship came with a library when the floor shook under his feet, bouncing him off a nearby wall. Immediately a voice came over the ship-wide intercom.
"The ship has encountered some instability. Please proceed to your cabin. Do not be alarmed."
Mordivai groaned. This trip was about to get twenty times more boring. He turned around and trudged down the corridor. The humming of the ship's engines was louder here, and he had been hoping to pass near the engine room, maybe even get a peek inside. No such luck now though. He wondered if he'd be able to find his way back to this spot later. Maybe the droid had a map embedded in-
Mordivai was in mid-thought when a blast erupted, tossing him off his feet. The wall beside him exploded outward, turning shrapnel into blazing projectiles and lighting the room with a flash. A searing heat swept over him, igniting a spark of pain that ripped into the flesh of his face. He hollered and shielded his arms over his head. His cry was lost in the blaring echo that deafened his ears. Faintly he heard the intercom buzzing above him but could not make out the words.
He stumbled to his feet and began to run, heedlessly and with little direction, as long as it was away from that blazing heat. He heard a wailing behind him which grew ever more screeching in pitch and realized that the mouse droid was trapped in the debris from the blast and could no longer follow him. It's alarm screamed defiance but soon faded as Mordivai's feet took him farther away. More rumbles shook the floor.
"Proceed immediately to your designated cabins. We are investigating the source of the disturbance." The intercom voice was inordinately calm.
Mordivai darted around a corner, nearly barreling into some service crew members who were running towards him. One of them held out a hand to stop him.
"What happened? Are you hurt?"
Mordivai opened his mouth to speak but the man's female partner snorted. "He's missing half his kriffin' face, are you blind? We got a real situation here." She turned her eyes, blazing with urgency, to him. "Boy, get yourself to the med bay right away."
"Where's the-" Mordivai's cheek cracked when he opened his mouth and he doubled over, feeling light-headed with pain. Distantly he heard the man's comm unit crackle.
"We're redirecting to Boonta for emergency repairs. Get things under control down there!"
"What's your cabin number, lad?" the man asked.
His cabin, yes, what was the number? Mordivai's head felt like it was stuffed with a wet blanket. He stared at the man.
"He's in shock, don't ask him questions," the woman said. "Son, go to the third level and follow the green line in the carpet, ok? Straight to the med bay."
Mordivai nodded. Green line. Third door. No, third floor. Follow the carpet. Right. Was he really missing half his face?
He ran on, but all the lifts he encountered were blinking red and the doors wouldn't open. He doubled back, looking for a stairway. Another blast shook the ship and Mordivai was knocked to the ground. A two-tone alarm began blaring from the intercom speakers. If there were any more instructions for passengers to follow, Mordivai could not hear them. Acrid smoke drifted down the corridor from where he had just come, making his vision hazy and indistinct.
He spotted a stairway and loped toward it. Halfway up the stairs he fell again as the ship began listing. No more stabilizer. That had to be bad. He gripped the railing and pulled himself up the tilting staircase and threw himself through the door at the top.
There! A line in the carpet. The floor heaved underneath him and he was brought to his knees. Under his hands he saw that the line was blue, not green. Where was the green line leading to the med bay? How many flights of stairs had he gone up? Had he gone up one too many or not enough?
He pushed himself to his feet. He was feeling strangely light, was he going to pass out? No, he realized, this was different. His whole body was feeling more and more weightless and he had the strangest sensation that he was rising like a balloon. He realized what was happening. The ship's gravity generator was failing.
The lights flickered and went dim, then began wavering in brightness in a dizzying way. There was one last burst of light and then they went out entirely. Mordivai sucked in a panicked breath and realized that he was crying. Shame burned through him. He had to be brave!
Around him, small pools of light formed along the floor and Mordivai as the emergency lights engaged. Thank the Force. He stumbled forward once more, breaking into a run.
The blaring of the alarm cut out and a new voice came over the intercom. It sounded breathless and human.
"All passengers proceed to the loading level and prepare to board escape pods. Do not bring your belongings. If you are separated from your party continue to the loading level. Do not return to your cabin. This is not a drill."
The message repeated several times before being replaced again by the mournful wailing of the alarm. Mordivai realized he was shaking.
Loading level. Which level was that? He entered the nearest staircase and was soon joined by a swarm of people all pressing together as they tried to cram themselves onto the staircase at once. Mordivai was pushed around several times in the throng. He was thrust into a family at one point, coming face to face with a tear-streaked child. A woman was gripping the child's hand so tightly that her knuckles were white. "We're going to be all right," she repeated over and over. "We'll be safe in the escape pods, honey."
Mordivai felt a terrible pang of jealousy. What he wouldn't do to have his mother's larger-than-life presence beside him now, to hear her voice, confident and fearless, telling him that they were going to face down this terrible day and come out all right. What he wouldn't give to hear his father calmly assessing the situation, explaining everything, and telling him what to do. Why did he have to be alone?
He followed the push of the crowd and soon saw crew personnel ahead, waving their arms and directing people into gaping circular doorways. The escape pods. They filled quickly and Mordivai was pushed further and further down the hallway. Would there be one left for him when he finally got close enough?
"Get in, boy, get in!" A strong hand grabbed him and thrust him towards a dark doorway. Mordivai stumbled over the threshold. Inside was a dark compartment, filled with narrow seats. A sign above his head declared the maximum occupancy to be twenty-six. Mordivai fell into a seat and pulled on the restraints with shaking hands. He had been one of the last to enter this pod. The man outside was pushing the door closed, grunting as he did so, his face strained and red. The door's mechanical controls must have failed.
"Are we going to Boonta?" Mordivai asked.
"What?" the man said. "No. Too far from Boonta. You'll be landing on Saleucami." The door locked shut with a bang.
Saleucami was in Hutt controlled space. At least he had made it that far. What would his father think when he found out his transport ship had crashed? Would he know to come find him on Saleucami instead?
"Landing, my ass!" said a voice behind him. "There's an asteroid field surrounding the whole planet! Like we'll even survive the landing!"
Nearby a child burst into sobs.
A woman rounded on the man who had just spoken. "Stop it! Just stop it!"
Mordivai covered his ears with his hands, holding back tears of his own. The pod shook and a tinny, mechanical voice spoke from the wall.
"Ejecting in sixty seconds. Stay seated and fasten all restraints."
Nearby a man was breathing in gasps, his face white and shiny with sweat. Someone behind him laughed, but it sounded forced and weak. "Hold on everybody!"
"Ejecting in thirty seconds."
Mordivai's sense of time was distorted and slow.
"...Ten seconds..." The voice began a countdown. "...Zero," it said. "Ejection imminent."
Mordivai closed his eyes. A force like the hand of a giant crushed him into his seat, forcing all air from his chest. He struggled to breathe, but his lungs were flattened and impotent. Spots swirled before his eyes.
This must be what dying feels like, he thought.