Nye awoke to the gentle hum of the ship's engines. The sound permeated the entire ship, a comforting sound to all on board. Nye hauled himself out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of his emerald green eyes and stretching hard. He shuffled into the bathroom, still half asleep. He washed up quickly before slipping on a loose shirt and pants and trying to impose some order on long, brown hair. He finally gave up and walked into the galley of the ship, yawning long and hard. He opened the door to the galley, and found his mother sitting at the table, sipping a cup of coffee.
"Good morning, honey." She said, looking over a data pad.
"G'mornin'" He mumbled, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down beside her, "What's that?"
"Oh, it's just a cargo manifest, we just got a job a few hours ago." She took a sip of her coffee. "It's mostly farm equipment and stuff like that."
Nye made sound of acknowledgment, sipping at his coffee and looking around for something to eat.
"You know, hun," his mother said, grinning, "If you drink too much of that stuff, you'll stunt your growth, if you haven't already." Nye shot her a dirty look.
"Oh haha, really funny mom!" Nye said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Nye's height was a sensitive subject for him. At sixteen years old, he only just broke five feet tall. His parents and friends never missed an opportunity to tease him about it. Nye made a few pieces of toast and sat down next to his mother. He nibbled on his toast, looking over at the data pad.
"So how much longer till we get to the pick up point?"
"About a day," his mother said, looking over at him "You know, hun, you really should eat a proper breakfast."
Nye rolled his eyes "Mom, I'm fine." He drank down the last of his coffee and stood up, "I'm gonna go see what dad's up to." Just down the hall on the right was the cockpit. Nye shuffled his way to the cockpit, feeling a bit more awake thanks to the coffee. He opened the cockpit doors and found his father sitting in the pilot's seat, fussing over various controls and interfaces. Nye plopped down next to him in the co-pilots chair. Their ship was an old Barloz class freighter called the Aegis Fate. It wasn't pretty or fast, but it was tough and durable, and would last a lifetime.
"Mornin, son." His father said, looking up from the console, "Sleep well?"
"Well enough," Nye replied, leaning back in the seat. His father's most prominent feature was also his own; a pair of seven inch long ears, pointing straight back and slightly up. At least, that's how they were normally oriented. Their ears moved with their emotions, making them very easy to read. At the moment, Nye's were pointed straight back, tilted slightly up; a relaxed position. His father's were positioned the same way, but that didn't always mean anything. His father had learned to control the position of his ears, if only so his mother wouldn't always have the upper hand. "So, what needs to get done before we rendezvous with the cargo?" Nye asked, standing up and stretching out a bit.
"There isn't a whole lot that needs to be done," His father said, standing up as well and moving toward the door, "we just need to get the cargo bay cleaned up." Nye nodded, moving out the door and starting to make his way down the halls. "Oh, and one more thing!" His father called after him, "The number three sublight engine is out again, can you try and get it back up?" Nye groaned, the number three engine was always breaking down, and the cause always seemed to be something different.
Nye walked slowly down the long main hall, muttering darkly to himself about the goddamn engine. He moved quickly through the ship's machine shop and into the huge cargo bay. The cargo bay took up most of the ship, and could hold about 85 metric tons of cargo. Most of the time though, it wasn't filled to capacity, and now it was pretty much empty. Nye sighed. The empty cargo bay was becoming an all to common sight. Business wasn't doing so well it seemed. At least he didn't have to pick his way through a maze of cargo boxes.
Nye tapped the door controls when he reached the other side of the cargo bay and stepped into the engineering room. A rush of hot air greeted him, filling his nose and lungs. It felt like he started sweating almost instantly. Dammit, now I'm going to have to take another shower, Nye thought. He flipped open the lid on the large toolbox squatting in the corner of the room, and pulled out a screwdriver. He walked over and popped off the maintenance panel for the engine. It was obvious it wasn't working, but it was much less obvious what was broken. Nye sighed again. It could take hours to just figure out what the problem was. Nye reluctantly got up and walked over to the toolbox, pulled out a hand full of tools, and went to work.
And sure enough, it did take a few hours just to diagnose the problem. Nye had pretty much pulled apart the entire engine assembly looking for the problem. He finally found the issue after digging for hours; a pair of couplings that hadn't been installed correctly. The incorrect installation had cause sparks to pass between them, causing some of the thin metal on them to melt away. Nye crawled out of the engine and slumped against the wall breathing heavily, deciding to take a little break before installing the new couplings. The heat back in the engine room was beyond oppressive. It made it almost impossible to work. Sweat was continuously rolling down his forehead into his eyes. His hair was matted with sweat and his face was splotched with grease. His shirt looked like he'd been doused with a hose. He stripped it off for what little it was worth. His sweat had put an unwelcome and slightly disgusting feeling of humidity in the room. It was an all together miserable workspace.
As he leaned against the wall for a few more minutes, breathing heavily, his mind wandered. He contemplated his families current situation. The Empire had placed more restrictions and rules on freight hauling as of late, which means his parents had to start charging more. People started to move away from the small shipping companies to the larger ones, who were able to offer services at a lower rate. As a result, his parents were being contracted less and less, and the people who did hire them were more often then not very shady. Nye sighed, which he seemed to be doing more and more of these days. He hauled himself to his feet and took a big swig of water from a bottle his mother had brought him. He looked down at his shirt laying on the ground, regarding it with disgust. He wasn't about to go back in with out it on, but somehow the idea of putting on the sweat drenched shirt that he had been wearing moments ago seemed repulsive. He tried not to think about it as he slipped it back on. He stood staring at the gaping hole in the wall. His shoulders slumped. The heat had sucked all the energy out of him. He wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and sleep for a few days. He sighed.
Nye sluggishly moved back into the engine, the two new couplings in his pocket. He tried to pick up the pace a bit, but his movements remained slow. Maybe I shouldn't have taken that break, he thought. He shoved the couplings into place, and slid back out. He gazed at the engine parts scattered about before him. He groaned. It would take at the every least, another two hours to put the whole damn thing back together again. He somehow found the willpower to pick up a piece and put it back into it's place. He looked back at the pile of parts and almost cried. This was going to take forever.
After what seemed like an eternity, he fit the last piece into place and tightened it down. Nye screwed the access panel back on and dropped his tools on the ground. There would be time for cleanup after he took a shower and slept for a couple months. Nye hit the door controls and took a shuffling step out into the cargo bay. A blast of cool air hit him, a smile breaking out across his face. He peeled off his sweat soaked shirt and shivered as the cool air enveloped his body, causing goosebumps to pop up all over. He smiled even wider. At least there was some kind of a silver lining to that horrible job. It almost felt like he was reborn, made a whole new person. He stood there for a few minutes, savoring the feeling, before shuffling back into his room.
He tossed his shirt across the room, hitting the ground with a loud splat. He kicked off his shoes, pulled off his pants and underwear, and turned on the shower. While he waited for the water to get to the right temperature, he leaned back against the wall. The metal bulkhead seemed downright cold, and he shivered delightfully. Nye leaned his head back and closed his eyes, listening to the running water for a few minutes. He jerked his head up as he realized he was about to fall asleep, and stepped into the shower. He took his time in the shower, making sure to get every last speck of dirt and filth off of him. He smiled to himself. As much as he hated doing the actual work, and the conditions he had to do it in, there was nothing more satisfying than cleaning up and cooling down afterward. He finally turned off the tap and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel off the rack and dropping it on the floor when he was done with it. He walked back into his room, put on a fresh pair of underwear and collapsed onto his bed, asleep before his head touched the pillow.
Nye awoke a few hours later, literally rolling out of bed. He slowly picked himself up and threw on a pair of lose fitting pants and a shirt. His whole body felt fatigued, but he knew that if he slept any more, he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. He gathered up his sweaty work clothes and dragged them into the laundry room, throwing them in a pile next to the washer. He shuffled back into the engine room, picking up his tools as quickly as he could.
Nye looked around the cargo bay. His father had asked him to tidy it up a bit, but it wasn't that bad. He could do it later. He slowly walked the length of the ship, back up to the galley. He peeked his head inside, looking for either one of his parents. Neither was. He was about to turn and leave when his stomach growled quite loudly, followed by a sudden pang of hunger. He walked quickly over the fridge and hastily pulled out the makings of a sandwich. He quickly threw the sandwich together and scarfed it down like he hadn't eaten in days. He chugged down a glass of juice after it, then sat there for a bit, staring at his plate, trying to decide whether or not he was still hungry. After much deliberation, he decided to make another one, and devoured it only slightly slower than the first. He chugged down another glass of juice. He belched loudly after he finished, giggling to himself.
His hunger now sated, Nye resumed the search for his parents. He walked up the hall to the bridge, and looked inside. Both his parents were there, sitting next to each other and talking in hushed voices.
"Hey." Nye, said, walking into the bridge. His mother turned around and smiled at him, motioning him over. He walked over and knelt down between them. "What's going on?"
"We're approaching the cargo pick up point," his father said, looking over the display screens in front of him.
"Well, that was a lot sooner than expected." Nye commented, looking over the display screens as well.
"Well, honey, your father isn't known for his calculation skills." His mother quipped, grinning slyly. Nye's father opened his mouth to protest, but closed it and threw up his hands in defeat. Nye chuckled, his mother seemed to have a gift for zingers.
"So, how much longer?" Nye asked, getting to his feet.
"We should be there in an hour, that I am sure of. Did you manage to get the engine fixed?"
"Yeah, I did. It only took me half a day." Nye said, crossing his arms. Nye's father ignored his tone of voice.
"And did you get the cargo bay cleaned up?" His father asked, looking back at him.
"No, Dad, like I said, I've just spend the entire day in the engine room."
"Well, could you do it please?" His father asked, turning back to the controls in front of him.
"Why? I doubt we're going to need 85 metric tons worth of room just for some farming stuff." Nye's ears moved, pointing straight up and turning parallel with his head, in annoyance and a bit of defiance.
"Because I'm your father, and I'm telling you to." Nye's father said slowly, annoyance creeping into his voice, but his ears remained level.
"That's not a reason!" Nye yelled, his ears pointing straight up at the ceiling, quivering slightly.
"Ok, how's this for a reason." Nye's father's voice became low and even. Nye gulped. That's how you knew his dad was getting angry. "If you don't, then I'll lock you in your quarters until we deliver the cargo, which will be about a week, with no kind of entertainment. You can just sit there and stare at the walls. How does that sound?"
"Fine." Nye said, his voice and body quivering with anger and humiliation at being defeated so easily. He turned on his heel and walked quickly out the door and down the hall, his hands balled into fists. His mind was racing as he started to work in the cargo bay, throwing the lighter objects sloppily into one corner, and getting the hand trolly to move the heavier boxes. How dare his father humiliate him like that? He fumed as he roughly moved the boxes into another corner of the room. His ears stayed pointing straight up the entire time.
I can't wait till I'm out of here, he thought, moving the last few boxes into place. It didn't look in the least bit neat, but he didn't care. His father hadn't asked him to do it neatly. He put the trolly away and stomped off into his room. He threw him self onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. I don't' need them, he thought, grabbing his music player and putting in his earbuds. I'd do just fine on my own. He turned up the volume on his music.
He laid there for the next hour, blaring his music and thinking bitter thoughts. He was jolted out of his thoughts when the ship shuddered as it dropped out of hyperspace and the sublight engines kicked in. Nye sat up and tugged out his earbuds. He sighed and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. His ears had returned to their normal resting position, and he's pretty much calmed down at this point. He rubbed his hands down his face and stood up. They'd be at the planet soon, which means his parents would need his help loading the cargo up. He found a pair of socks and put them on, followed by his shoes.
Nye walked out of his room and down the hall, peeking his head into the cargo bay. It was empty, so he went in and sat down on one of the boxes messily piled in the corner. His parents must still be in the cockpit, working out where to land, he thought. He rested his chin on his hand and waited. A few minutes later, there was the distinctive bump and rumbling of the ship entering the atmosphere of the planet. And a few moments after that, the ship slowed to a halt and gently lowered itself onto the landing gear.
Nye stood and stretched out. Loading wasn't too bad of a job. With the repulsor sleds, it was just a matter of making things fit. Nye walked over to the cargo ramp controls, and lowered the ramp all the way down. He figured they'd only need one down, since they were only taking on a bit of cargo. Nye heard someone walking up behind him, but he didn't turn to look. He just waited at the top of the ramp for his farther to go down and greet whoever was hiring them. Nye looked at his father as he passed, but didn't say a word to him.
Nye followed him down the ramp, where a man who looked decidedly not shady at all waited for them. He was a smartly dressed human of middle age. He extended a hand in greeting as Nye's father approached him.
"Ah, Mr. Thallo, how nice to finally meet you in person." The man said, shaking Nye's father's hand.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Negrocios." Nye's father withdrew his hand, "Is the cargo ready to be loaded?"
"Yes, yes." Mr Negrocios gestured behind him to where a few large farm machines stood, along with several large crates, "We can begin loading as soon as you're ready." The man's gaze drifted up into the cargo bay, then over to Nye, as if seeing him for the first time. "Ah, Mr. Thallo, would this happen to be your son?"
"Yes, this is Nye," Nye's father said, wrapping his arm around him, "he'll help you load the cargo, if need be."
"No, no it's quite alright. I have my own men." Mr. Negrocios chuckled, gesturing behind him to a band of load workers, who were already getting the cargo prepped.
Nye bristled at him chuckling, his ears pointing straight up. He was being laughed at by a stranger. What the hell does he know? I've always helped with the loading! Nye though bitterly, staring daggers at the man. Nye's father quickly sent him off to "go help your mother." Nye walk briskly off, his hands jammed in his pockets and his ears still pointing straight up. It seems everyone is intent on humiliating me today, he though, hitting the door control to the cockpit. His mother was inside, seated in the pilot's chair, looking over several data pads and the ship's computer. Nye practically threw himself down into the co-pilot's chair.
"What's wrong?" His mother asked, looking up from the screens.
"Nothing's wrong." He mumbled, staring out the view screen.
"Nye, you forget, I'm your mother. I know you." His mother smiled softly, putting her hand on his arm. Nye pulled away.
"Yeah, well apparently you don't need to know me to know what I'm thinking!" Nye grabbed his ears and yanked them down, letting out a loud, frustrated sound. "I hate how everyone can read me like a book!"
"Nye, you're perfect the way you are." His mother put her hand on his shoulder, and this time he didn't pull away. "These years especially are hard, not just for you, but for everyone your age. And you have to realize that there will always be people who will look down on you for who you are, but you can't listen to them. If you live your life by someone else's judgment, you'll never be happy." Nye sighed and let go of his ears. They returned to the resting position, but pointing slightly backwards, a sign of slight embarrassment.
"Yeah, you're right." Nye sighed, dropping his hands onto his lap.
"Of course I am. I'm your mother." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. As much of a pain they were, Nye was glad to have his parents around at times.
The door opened as his father walked in a few minutes later. Nye hopped out of the pilots chair and into the comm officer's chair behind it. Nye's father tapped a few of the controls, and the engines whined to life, shaking the ship.
"Cargo's all loaded up?" Nye asked, swiveling his chair to face the view port.
"Yup," his father replied, not taking his eyes of the controls, "now all that's left is to drop it off." The Aegis Fate slowly rose from the ground, turned toward the sky and took off. In no time they were leaving the planet behind.
Nie spun back around in his chair. Now came the boring part. His father already said it would take about a week to get to their destination. Maybe he could go back into the cargo hold, and figure out what some of those machines do. But then again, how exciting can farm equipment be? Nye sighed. He stood up from the chair and was moving toward the door when a light started flashing on the comm console. He went back over to look at it.
"Uh, hey dad, it looks like someone is haling us."
"Who is it?" His father asked, looking back at him.
"Dunno, I'll put it on." Nye hit a few buttons to open a comm link to whomever was hailing.
"This is light freighter Aegis Fate responding to hale."
There was a burst a static, then came a reply.
"This is Imperial inspection team Delta 25, maintain your current course and speed, power down your weapons and shields, and prepare for inspection." The calm voice of an Imperial officer came over the speakers. Nye froze. Imperial inspections were never a good thing.
"Copy that, Delta 25," His father spoke slowly, "is there a problem?"
"All cargo leaving this system is subject to inspection. Comply with the orders."
"Aegis Fate, wilco." Nye's father close the channel, then reached up and turned of their weapons and shields. The weapons on the Aegis Fate were almost nothing, just a single, forward firing laser cannon. It was hardly a threat to anyone.
"They're right on top of us!" Nye said, staring at the sensor screen. His ears pointed straight out form the side of his head, tilted forward and slightly down, a sign of fear.
"Alright, no need to panic. Nye, why don't you wait in your room. You're mother can wait here. I'll go see them at the airlock." Nye's father started to move toward the door.
"Wait!" His mother said, getting up after his father, "I'm coming with you."
"Ok. Nye, I want you to wait in your room." Nye simply nodded, his stomach tying itself in knots. He had a very bad feeling about what was about to happen. They all started to leave the bridge when someone started pounding on the airlock door. Nye had to resits the urge to bolt into his room and lock the door. He didn't want to look weak in front of his father.
"We're coming!" His father shouted, quickening his pace.
Nye walked as calmly as he could after them, peeling off into his room when they got to it. Nye quickly shut the door, leaving cracked. He pressed his ear against it, listening for what was going on outside. His ears weren't just for show; they were extremely sensitive, in just about every sense of the word.
Nye could hear his parents' quickening steps, and the pounding on the airlock becoming more impatient. Finally the airlock doors slid open, and the Imperials walked in. Nye couldn't tell how many. They started talking with his parents. He couldn't hear the whole conversation, but he caught the gist of it. They wanted to see the cargo. His parents obliged, leading them through the machine shop into the cargo bay.
Agonizing minutes went by. Nye fiddled with the hem of his shirt, his mind playing through all the horrible scenarios that could be taking place. He kept his ear firmly pressed against the door, even though it had begun to ache from the pressure. Finally, the machine shop doors opened and his parents and the Imperials came through. It looked like they were heading for the bridge. He could hear the voices more distinctly now. His father was trying to keep a friendly, polite tone. The Imperial, it only sounded like one was talking, had a more cold and detached tone.
They walked passed his room, and Nye got a good look at who was on board. There was three of them total. One was an Imperial officer, dressed in dark green-gray uniform of an Imperial officer. To his right and left were two stormtroopers, the very image of Imperial power. Nye gulped. These guys were serious. His stomach twisted itself into even more knots.
The group came to a stop at the end of the hallway, a few feet away from the bridge. Nye could only see his parents through the cracked door, but he could hear them just fine.
"Well, captain, I'm sorry to say," the Imperial officer said, his voice cold, "that it appears that your cargo has been stolen."
"What?" His father said, his ears went straight up in surprise, slightly angled out. His mother's eyes went wide. "That's not possible! I have documentation!"
"Well, I'm afraid that it is possible," The Imperial said, his voice disinterested, "and as you know, transporting stolen goods is a serious offense. As such, I here by declare that this vessel be impounded, and you placed under arrest. Your vessel will be sold and the proceeds will go to the cost of your defense." For a moment no one said anything. His mother's eyes were wide with shock, her face pale. His father wore a disbelieving expression. Nye's blood turned to ice. They were gonna lose the ship? Where would they go, what would they do? This ship was their lively hood! Didn't this man understand that?
"This is outrageous! How dare you! Do you know what this ship means to my family!" Nye's father jammed his hand into his pocket, fishing for documentation on the cargo.
A bolt of red light suddenly sprang forth from one of the Imperials. It struck his father in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Nye fell back from the door, as it he too had been hit. Before he was able to process what he saw, his mother let out a scream of pure terror. A moment later the sound of a blaster silenced her as well. Then there was silence.
Nye's mind was reeling. Had he really just seen that? He couldn't have. There must be some kind mistake. His parents couldn't have been shot. Maybe it was on the stun setting? That had to be it. His parents couldn't be...dead.
A voice finally broke through the silence.
"What the hell did you do that for, you jackass?" It took a moment for Nye to recognize it was the Imperial officer. He used the same tone of voice one would use to berate a friend who did something stupid.
"I thought he was going for a weapon!" The voice of one of the stormtrooper's echoed down the hall, his voice coming through the speaker in his helmet. "What did he shoot her for?"
"So that there weren't any witnesses, you moron!" Came the second stormtrooper's retort. Nye couldn't believe it. They sounded like they were discussing some trivial matter, not like they've just murdered his parents!
"So...what now?" The first stormtrooper asked, kicking the deck plating.
"We'll rig the sensor data to make it look like they were attacked by pirates. You two get back to the ship, before you cause anymore problems."
"Should we move the bodies?" The first stormtrooper asked.
"What's the point? Just leave them there." The Imperial officer said, walking off toward the bridge. The stormtroopers walked off without saying a word. Nye say there, sprawled out on the floor, in a state of shock. His mind was blank. His heart seemed to have stopped. There's no way this is happening, he kept thinking to himself. He stared wide eyed at the door as if it held some explanation.
A few minutes later the Imperial officer walked briskly by. Nye listened to his footsteps echo down the hall, until he had reached the airlock. The airlock doors closed, and a dull thump resonated through the ship as the Imperial craft detached. A few moments later, the hyperdrive engaged, and the ship took off toward an unknown destination.
After what seemed like an eternity, Nye crawled toward the door. He grasped the frame and pulled himself to his feet, his legs shaking and weak.
"Mom? Dad?" Nye called through the cracked door, not daring to open it and see what was outside.
After a few long moments with no response, he opened the door. There, at the end of the hall were his parents, sprawled out on the ground. He shakily made his down the hall, leaning against the wall for support.
"Mom? Dad?" He called out again, his ears pointing toward his shoulder. As he slowly made his way down the hall, the reality of the situation sank deeper and deeper in. Tears started to roll down his cheeks.
He finally made it to where his parents were laying. He collapsed between the two, sobs wracking his body as the tears flowed freely down his cheeks. He embraced each one, calling their names, as if it would somehow bring them back to life. He was crying so hard that it physically hurt.
He didn't know how long he knelt there, sobbing. Eventually he somehow managed to stagger to his feet and stumble into the bridge. He collapsed into the pilot's chair, sobs still shaking his body, eyes red and swollen from the tears.
He looked at where the Imperials had sent the ship. It looked like they were heading to the middle of nowhere. He managed to bring the ship to a halt, and turn it toward his home planet. As the Aegis Fate leaped back into hyperspace, he wondered what the hell he was going to do now.