“Another Fine Mess”
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
The ship exploded and the Ulgar’s Fury sped through the wreckage. “That’s the last of them,” a voice shouted. “You can come down from the turret.”
A young lady appeared in the cockpit and sat in the pilot’s chair. The co-pilot, a second young woman began checking systems for damage.
“Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it, Melina?”
The co-pilot kept looking at her screens, but answered. “Not bad?” she retorted. “Have you seen the ship?” The girl pointed to the damaged areas, of which there were several. “It’s going to take a couple of weeks to fix this stuff. And as it is, you just ruined our chances with one of our best clients.”
Nyja Asketi, a proven smuggler and criminal for several years looked at her younger sister and weighed her response. “Well there was no way I was going to start giving him forty-five percent of my earnings just as a privilege of working for him.” The girl punched the console hard enough to hurt her hand. “Besides,” she started again. “There’s plenty of other suckers out there that we can get work with.”
Melina turned to look at her older sister and stared for a moment. “But did you have to toss the concussion grenade onto his table?”
Nyja laughed and though she didn’t want to, Melina began to laugh as well. “I thought it was a dud, I have several. It was only meant to scare him and change his mind.”
“He changed his mind alright,” Melina said. “Enough to send his fighters after us. I’m sure we have a bounty out on us by now.”
“There’s always one way to find out,” Nyja countered. “Set course for Tatooine. Best speed.”
“You’re lucky we even have hyperdrive capability,” Melina said as she began programming the navicomputer.
“And you’re lucky that we’re alive, the way you fly!”
Melina became offended and stopped her work. “The way I fly?” she shouted. “You should talk; you’re the one that taught me!” The girl went back to programming. “Besides, if you had just a little better aim. . .” she let her words trail off.
“That’s it!” yelled Nyja. She took her hands out and started to close her fingers into a fist. The other girl began to gasp for air. She was being strangled by the Force. Nyja knew what she was doing and Melina knew what she was getting into by getting into a shouting match with Nyja. Suddenly, Melina passed out. At this, Nyja became aware of what she had done. Her face snapped back into focus and she immediately moved to Melina’s side.
The girl was not moving and it didn’t seem as if she was breathing. Nyja reached down and began trying to breath life into her. “Come on, dammit!” she screamed in between breaths. “You can’t die! I’m not through being mad at you!”
The younger girl began to cough and Nyja turned her onto her side. Without saying anything else, Nyja cradled the girl in her arms. After a few minutes of silence, with the girl gaining her strength back, Nyja finally spoke, quietly. “I’m sorry, Mel,” Nyja whispered. “I don’t know my own strength. I just lost control and took it out on you.”
The girl sat up a little more on her own and looked at Nyja. “Don’t worry. But remember, you swore you would never kill again in anger. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you to that.” Melina moved forward to hug her sister and Nyja approached as well.
“I’m sorry again. And thank you for being so understanding.”
The two girls stood and returned to their seats in the cockpit. Melina started to re-calculate their trajectory to Tatooine. “The coordinates are set, Nyja.”
Nyja looked at her sister whose face was still gaining color. “Engage hyperdrive.” Melina pulled the hyperdrive throttle back and the ship disappeared into the stars.
