Chapter 3: Pasts can be so Boring

(Ten hours before the ruined ship landed on Sentinel III)

"Outlaw?!" yelled a voice, "You want to be an outlaw?" The man slammed down his cup of coffee and stood up. He was in his late forties and he was wearing a Space Forces uniform. "I forbid it!"

"Father," cried a light voice. "I want to travel the universe, go on adventures, go treasure hunt-"

The 19-year-old stopped abruptly as her father raised his hand. The girl had short curly brown hair with mystic cloudy light blue eyes, the normal look for a Space Force resident.

"You can do all that in the Forces, an outlaw! What are you thinking? Who gave you such an idea?" yelled her father. "It was that girl, wasn't it Misha?"

"She has a name, father," said the girl in a soft tone, trying to keep her feelings inside, the way an Outlaw would do.

"If you leave, you will be disowned by me!" yelled the man as his child walked to the door. "I mean it!"

She opened the door and yelled, "Good!" She slammed the door behind her as she walked down the front stairs. As she walked, she let a tear fall from her eye onto her cheek.

"Maaike, I don't want you to go," said a small, child-like voice. "Who will run the shop? You're the only one who can work on the car engines." The little girl, who was about eight years old, ran and hugged the lady called Maaike.

"Oh, you can do all that. I'll teach you sometime," Maaike smiled.

"Will you be coming back?" asked the child.

"Of coarse I will come back!" Maaike nudged the girl on the chin. "I wonder if you will remember me when you are older."

"If you get lost, I will always be here in the shop," said the girl happily. "You always have the orphanage to go to."

"Yeah," sighed Maaike. She stood up and walked to the door of the machinery shop. "Take care of this place for me, Mya. Goodbye."

Maaike jogged down the street, no cars were around, and smiled largely as she finally thought she was free to roam.

Asha-leigh frowned as she walked down the hallway of the Space Forces Communications building. She opened the door to the single offices and weaved through the desks to find her 'uncle.' She saw his head rise from his own desk wall, she sucked in her breath and walked toward him.

When she reached his desk she said, "Uncle, I'm going to go out for a while, may I have some money?"

"Wong? Don't you have your own account?" asked Uncle as he eyed her clothes. She was wearing her Space Forces cadet uniform and had a pack over her shoulder. "You don't go anywhere in your uniform, what are you planning?"

"I just got off work." Uncle sighed, seeing through Asha's lie. "How did you guess Uncle? I don't like it here. You know . . . EVERYTHING! I hate the Space Forces!" said Asha in a harsh whisper so the workers around them could not hear. "I'm leaving."

Asha turned from her uncle and walked away.

"Wait, Asha!" he said across the room. "I'll help you."

Asha gave Uncle the smile she gives only to those she trusted, and loved.