The air was thick with the smell of exhaust fumes and drug smoke. Not a good part of town. Even though it was mid-morning, the sidewalks and streets were crowded with all sorts of foul smelling and foul mouthed creatures, each prepared to hold their own should a fight break out, as it often did. Not much had been done by the Union to clean up this section of the planet, except for the lawmen that stood their post on nearly every street corner, routinely checking for smugglers, criminals, or worse. 

A police vehicle hovered down to the street and from inside came a fresh batch of cops to replace the weary-eyed ones for the morning shift. During this noisy display, a figure stirred in the back alley, covered in old paper and soft metal garbage. It moaned in fatigue, then slowly arose. It was a girl, noticeably younger than the aggressive and harsh beings that regularly roamed the area. She rubbed her eyes and moaned again, dreading the journey that lay ahead. She planned on leaving this planet today, and the next spaceport laid across the border in more civil, and less funky-smelling territory. She got to her feet and picked up the small blaster that lay beside her makeshift bed. “Blast,” she muttered, “must have left it unstrapped last night.” She picked it up and placed it in its holster, securing it firmly and covering it with her waistcoat. She snuck a few feet over to the other side of the alley, where there stood a rusty electro-dumpster, and reached her hand behind it. Feeling what she was looking to find, she gave a sigh of relief in the knowledge that her most precious belonging hadn’t been stolen. She yanked out a small shoulder pack, slung it over her body, and headed out of the alley; another one of many temporary homes.

Five days she’d been trekking across this territory. ‘Five days too many,’ she thought distastefully as she turned the corner out of the alley and continued her journey, passing by a couple of spidery humanoids. According to her calculations, she would arrive at the Tabe Tolam Spaceport in two days time. That was if she walked, which she both wanted to do, and didn’t. She mostly preferred to get around by walking; less personal interaction with others. But if she took a cab, even a reliable cab, they could be questioned about her whereabouts by the law, which they would undoubtedly spill. But today, she didn’t feel like walking through these sketchy streets. She decided that today she would risk it and take a public transport bus to the Spaceport. ‘It’ll save me time; it'll be worth it,’ she reasoned with herself. As long as she hid her defining features, she would be safe. Tucking her olive-coloured hair into her hood, she made a detour to a transport stop.

She climbed on board, and it sped off to the spaceport. She didn’t sit; she only watched to make sure she wasn’t being watched. She wished she didn’t have to worry, but no amount of self-reassurance could sway her. As long as she was alive, she wasn’t safe. One of the spidery creatures, a Pungwere, sat near the entrance. ‘Hold on,’ she thought. She could have sworn she… her photographic memory triggered, and sure enough, she was right. This was one of the creatures she passed on her way here. ‘Definitely following me’, she thought. Keeping him in the corner of her eye, she carefully stepped over the many legs blocking her way to the door. She made it there, and held onto a handhold to steady herself, but now she was just feet away from the Pungwere. She forced herself to remain composed, even though she felt like shaking in fear. Finally, the train stopped and she stepped off among a small throng so as to not be seen. Without looking back, she walked down the street, then quickly crossed as the walk symbol appeared. She hazarded a glance to where she had been and there, talking to a lawman, was the spider guy. “Drat, I knew it,'' she cursed under her breath. She ducked into the alley and quickened to a brisk walk. She heard the screech of the lawman’s whistle, and could hear their pounding footsteps behind her. She ran.

She had a lot of experience running, but so did the officer. The alley ended, and she sharply cornered, expertly dodging any oncoming figures. Her surroundings were a blur, and her laser focus was fixed not only on the escape strategy, but also the distance between her and the officer. She cornered again, keeping her rapid pace. Then, her pursuer’s footsteps disappeared. She stopped short, and the world came into view. There was no way they’d stopped following her. Her eyes darted all around. Nothing. Suddenly, the sounds in her ear shifted, and her ears were filled with loud footfalls again. Impact. She was blindsided by the lawman, and the tackle left her sprawled out on the ground, her hood back, her odd-coloured hair flowing. She noticed it was a woman, not a man as she had assumed.

The officer had pinned her arms behind her back in a flash, and said cockily, “ So, no ID, I’m guessing?” The girl didn’t answer, but struggled against the tight grip. She was led aside from the foot traffic, and that’s when she made her move. Using the wall as a kickboard, she flung herself back in an impossible backflip, twisting the arms of the officer. She let go in surprise, but just as quickly as she had incapacitated her, she pulled her gun on the girl. “Don’t move! You don’t want to get shot, do you?” The girl sighed. She didn’t want to do it; it was what she was avoiding the whole time. She raised her hands in mock surrender, then a burst of high pitched sound came from her fingertips, soundwaves, directed at the unsuspecting woman. Slowly, the officer’s face changed to confusion, and her grip on the blaster loosened. She began to breathe heavily, and her hands started shaking. “Wh-what’s happening?” she asked to herself as the gun dropped from her hands, and she dropped to her knees. The girl turned around and walked away. The Spaceport was a ten minute walk away; she could afford to take the rest of the trip on foot. The officer’s police training wouldn’t be erased for long, but long enough for her to get off planet and continue her mission. She stepped into the Spaceport, and put her hood back up. No more incidents.