[Past]

  The Sun stood high in the sky above Ventano. Its light brought life to the abundance of farms that dotted the landscape. The fields of crops rose up, soaking in the light and warmth as the shadows around them slowly crept away. The sun was always bright on Ventano. There was nowhere one could hide from it.

  In the center of the largest stretch of grassland stood a small town, a testament to all the progress that the tiny planet had made in recent years. The buildings were small, and the roads were made of dirt, but it was the biggest city that the planet had ever seen.

  The dirt streets were bustling with activity. Humans in cheap clothing traveled to and from the various jobs required to keep the city afloat. Some would stop to talk and greet their neighbors, while others would simply walk onward with their head down, already wishing the day was over. Everyone was too busy to notice a twelve year-old girl weaving through the streets.

  Nicoash knew these streets well. She had been navigating them for years, even before her father would let her pilot the speeder by herself. She snaked her way through the crowd, ducking under extended arms and squeezing through tight gaps between people. As she walked, she stealthily reached into pockets and bags. Her slender hands and quick reflexes made it easy to go unnoticed.

  As she reached the end of the busiest street in the town, she turned around to watch as people continued walking down their familiar paths, completely unaware. She opened her hand, admiring her handiwork. She closed her fingers around the credits again and skipped off down a nearby alley where a suspicious-looking man stood.

  “I did even better this time,” Nicoash chirped as she opened her hand to show him the credits.

  The man scratched his beard as he grinned at Nicoash. Nicoash had met Vynn only a few days ago when he stopped on the planet to refuel and repair. He stood tall above Nico with greasy black hair that he pushed out of his face as he extended his hand for the credits. After Nicoash dropped them in his hand, he took a moment to count them. “Nice work. You’re getting good at this, kid.” He grabbed the toothpick that he had been holding with his yellowing teeth and flicked it aside.

  “It’s easy honestly.” Nicoash swayed her head around as she kicked one leg out, taking an exaggerated step toward him. “No one is even paying attention.”

  “Just like I told you,” he said as he reached forward with his free hand to ruffle Nicoash’s fluffy, unruly head of hair. Her hair threatened to swallow his entire hand if he wasn’t careful. “Everyone is too focused on what is going on in front of them to think about what might be going on behind them.”

  “So… how much more do we need?” Nicoash tilted her head as she watched him pocket the credits she had given him.

  “Hm?” He raised an eyebrow at her, only half focused on her words. Her accent and her difficulties with basic required him to take a moment longer to comprehend her. “How much do we need for what?”

  “You know… to get out of here!” Nicoash smiled at him brightly. Seeing the confused look on his face encouraged her to continue explaining. “Once we get enough credits, we can leave Ventano! You can take me on your starship so I can see the galaxy.”

  The man pursed his lips as he looked at her. He was silent for a moment, but this time it wasn’t because of his difficulties understanding. Eventually, he nodded and flashed her a fake smile. “Right, of course. You and me against the galaxy.” He looked up again, seeing a quick flash of light reflecting off the finger of a man with more intricate clothing as he passed by the alley followed closely by a handful of lackeys. A real grin rose on his face as he motioned for Nicoash to follow him. “We’ve almost got what we need.” He turned to her briefly as he raised a finger. “Just one more mark.”

  Nicoash followed him closely, looking up at him instead of where they were walking. She hung on his every word, waiting with baited breath on what wisdom he would bestow upon her next. “Just a little more? Do you want me to do another loop?”

  He shook his head as he pulled her around the corner of the alley and in front of him. He then rested his hands on her shoulders as he bent down behind her. He pointed at the man and his lackeys. “See that?”

  “The pirates?” Nicoash cocked her head to the side in confusion. Everyone knew about Vesho and his gang of pirates those days. They were a constant annoyance to all farmers in the area, and they caused trouble wherever they went. No one could ever effectively stand up to them, however.

  “Right, right, but look at his finger. See that ring?”

  Nicoash squinted as she looked at his hand. She nodded. “Yeah, I see it.”

  “That thing is worth thousands of credits at least. Maybe tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? If you steal that ring, we’ll be set for months, maybe even years! Then, we’ll fly away from here just like you wanted, right?” He looked down at Nicoash and gave her a sly grin.

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  Nicoash pursed her lips before nodding. “Alright, that makes sense. So… how do I steal it?”

  Vynn shrugged as he stood up, giving her a quick pat on the shoulders. “Easy, same way you steal everything else. Just grab it.” He then pushed her forward. “Go on, I’ll be here waiting for you when you get it.” He gave her a thumbs up when she looked back at him nervously. “You’ve got this. Show me what you’re made of, kid.”

  Nicoash nodded slowly and took a deep breath. She turned and quickly made her way over to the group of pirates. She slowed down as she reached them, looking around them for an opening. The pirates were lost in conversation with each other. Nicoash wasn’t listening to the specifics, but she could tell they were causing trouble with the merchant in front of them. Vesho’s big booming laugh made her almost jump out of her boots. She looked up at him to make sure he wasn’t watching before continuing to inch forward. She reached up carefully, clasping the ring between her fingers. As she started to lower it, he immediately took notice and started to turn around. As he did, Nicoash panicked and just ripped the ring off the rest of the way, hopping backwards when it was in her hand.

  “Hey, kid! What the kriff do you think you’re doing?” He looked down at his now ringless finger. “Little thief! Give that back!”

  Nicoash shook her head as she took a few steps backward. Then, she turned on her heel and started running.

  “What are you waiting for? Catch that kid!” Vesho’s yell cut through all of the noise surrounding them, causing even the passersby to look at him in confusion.

  Nicoash ran as fast as she could, forcing her way through the crowd. She could hear the pirates running after her, but she couldn’t let herself get caught. This ring was her ticket out of there. She ran over to a crate and climbed up on it so that she could search the crowd. As she looked at where Vynn once stood waiting on her, she realized that he was gone. She squinted, scanning the crowd to try and find him. Further down the road, she saw greasy black hair quickly walking off. She turned to look behind her and saw the pirates quickly closing in on her. There was no time to confirm it.

  Nicoash jumped off the crate and ran into the crowd again. She pushed people out of the way and bumped through to make little openings for herself, hoping to keep those pirates far behind. She jumped up to try and see again, but Vynn was nowhere to be seen this time. “Fratz,” she yelped as she turned and pushed her way out of the crowd.

  She ran into a nearby alleyway and started running through it. She turned around briefly to see that the pirates were still close behind her. She let out a panicked yelp before turning and continuing down the alleyway. She dived through the first opening she saw to run through a couple of buildings. She leaped over a set of stairs and sprinted out into a smaller road that was less busy.

  Nicoash turned back and forth quickly to try and find Vynn, but he was still nowhere to be found. She turned to look down the alley again, seeing one of the pirates quickly closing in on her. She groaned and rolled her eyes before breaking out into a sprint again. She jumped through stalls and pushed her way around people, making a mess behind her to try and get the pirates off her trail.

  She rushed around the corner that led to Jarik’s diner, but before she could reach it she ran directly into one of the pirates. The pirate grabbed her immediately, causing her to let out a shriek of panic. “Give me that ring you little rat!”

  Nicoash kept struggling against him and shrieking, holding onto the ring tightly. She refused to give it up. “Let me go! Let me go!!”

  Nicoash heard a set of footsteps calmly approaching the pirate from behind. “Would you let the kid go?” Jarik let out an audible sigh. “And Nicoash, calm down, would you?”

  “Not until she gives me back that ring!” The pirate held onto Nicoash as tightly as she held onto that ring.

  Jarik rolled his eyes. “Nicoash, give him the ring.”

  “No! It’s mine!” She struggled in an attempt to free herself.

  “Just give him the kriffing ring,” Jarik shouted at her.

  “Fine,” Nicoash yelled. As the pirate loosened his grip on her, she ripped away from him. She was tempted to run again, but Jarik had stepped forward now and was looking at her expectantly. She glanced around one last time, hoping Vynn would come out of the shadows to help her. He didn’t. She pouted as she tossed the ring at the pirate.

  Jarik immediately waved the pirate off as he caught the ring. “Now bring that back to Vesho. Leave her alone. Just a little kid playing games.”

  The pirate looked down at Nicoash for a moment as he thought about it. He eventually shrugged and nodded. “Alright, whatever. But we better not catch you stealing from us again, got it?”

  Nicoash just rolled her eyes in response.

  Jarik turned to Nicoash with a disappointed look on his face as the pirate walked off. “Now what was that all about? You stealing now?”

  Nicoash shrugged at him, planting her hands in her pockets.

  “Your parents aren’t going to be happy-”

  “Don’t tell them!” Nicoash immediately jerked forward and took her hands out of her pockets to plead with him. “Please! I’ll help you around the diner for a month!”

  Jarik chuckled and shook his head. “Fine, fine. Just don’t do it again, alright? Why’d you even go for the ring anyway?”

  Nicoash shrugged as she reached up to scratch her head. “I thought… it would be worth a lot.”

  Jarik shook his head as he beckoned her toward his diner. “Stealing a ring off someone’s finger without them noticing is almost impossible. I wouldn’t try it again.”

  Nicoash froze as he spoke. She blinked a few times before turning behind her in hopes of finding Vynn again. He still wasn’t there. “Impossible…” she repeated under her breath as her gaze lowered. She turned to follow Jarik inside, her body drooping more with each step.