“It’s a great idea. There were a lot of kids where I grew up who needed something like that.” His expression softens. “Me included.”
I take a risk and ask, “What was it like? I can tell you’ve tried to downplay it, but it must have been really hard.”
“I’ll tell you, only if you promise to not feel sorry for me,” he says.
“Deal.”
“It was rough. I learned to survive by any means necessary. All of us kids formed a little gang. We came up with all sorts of ways to steal from travelers. We learned pretty quickly not to steal from other residents. So, we went after anyone passing through.”
I don’t say a word, hoping he’ll continue and tell me more.
“A crooked mechanic taught me how to fake an engine failure. We used to find the nicest ship docked on the station. The other kids would follow around the captain and crew while I’d sneak onboard. When they would return to their ship, it would look like a massive engine failure. They would go to the mechanic, the only one on the station, to fix it. Once the payment was received, I’d return and put the part back.”
I promised him I wouldn’t pity him, so I do my best to keep a neutral face and not think too hard about why he had to resort to scams to survive.
“I eventually got caught, and somehow managed to undock a ship and fly it. I’d never flown anything before. It’s how I crashed on Sabaak the first time.”
And there it is: the full story about how he ended up here. It all makes sense. I can tell he hardly wants to admit the truth to himself, let alone say it out loud to someone else.
“A lot of people on Earth are stuck in shitty jobs, being exploited and treated worse than a bot. It could have been my future if my family hadn’t stepped in. I want to help people in the same way, give them opportunities. Help them reach their goals, even if it’s to have an adventure on a distant planet where everything possible goes wrong.”
Tai stops walking and stares at me, his eyes searching my face. It’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking. He probably thinks I’m ridiculous for thinking I could make a difference in this vast universe that is tipped in the favor of the wealthy and powerful.
“What?” I ask, feeling self-conscious from his stare.
“I had you completely wrong,” he says. “You seem so sure ofyourself, like nothing ever scared you. I assumed life had been easy for you.”
I give a small shrug. “Not even close. We didn’t have much growing up. It was hard. But it pushed me. Everything I’ve done came from that.”
Tai turns back and starts walking again, both of us quietly lost in our thoughts.
FORTY-THREE
Tai
The water is hardly more than a mud puddle. My boots squelch through the wet dirt as I circle around. My feet slide a bit with each step. I turn to warn Bri but before I can say a word, she has lost her footing and is sliding, each foot going in a different direction. She hits the ground and bursts out laughing.
“You are the clumsiest person I have ever met,” I say and put my hand out to help her up. She flings the mud off her hands and reaches for me. Instead of pulling herself up, she yanks down on my hand, pulling me down into the mud next to her.
“Serves you right,” she says and flicks mud on my face.
“Oh, you think you’re pretty funny, huh?” I grab a handful of mud and swipe it across her face.
“Oh, no you didn’t!” A handful of mud hits my forehead. I swipe it off my face and narrow my eyes at her.
“Mercy! Mercy! We’re even!” she says gasping for breath between her laughter.
“Hardly.”
She has more mud on her than I do from the fall that had nothing to do with me. Bri gets up carefully squelches her way through the soft mud around the corner.
I look around trying to figure out how we are going to get some drinkable water from the murky muddy mess in front of us. The idea to filter it out using the clothes we have on pops in my head—a skill we learned in military training—but I soon get grossed out at the thought. I’m about to lean down and scoop up some water with my hand when I hear Bri from around a bend in the canyon.
“Fuck yes!” she yells followed by a loud splash.
I trudge my way through the mud and follow the sounds of splashing. How did I miss the crystal-clear pool of water in the middle of the desert the last time I was here?
Well, I was preoccupied with other things.
