Imperial Orders

♕The Storeroom♕

The leader of the Peenutz wore a thin, flannel shirt and black shorts. His hair was messy, as if he had just been roused from sound slumber. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he stood almost uncomfortably close to Tuofah. Surprisingly, his expression was not the slightest bit cross. If anything, he looked a bit smug and pleased with himself. 

"What are you doing up so late?" he asked. His voice sounded just as groggy as he looked, but Tuofah was not ignorant enough to judge a Djaren's thoughts and mood by his outwardly displayed manner. The Djareny were criminals by birth, and were consequently the galaxy's most accomplished actors. 

"I couldn't sleep," Tuofah shrugged her shoulders, trying to look and sound as natural as possible. If she appeared tense, even for a second, she knew that it wouldn't be difficult for Hugo to pick up on her true intentions. She also kept in mind the commonly known fact that a Djaren's horns were capable of puncturing a human skull within seconds of impact. "I've never had to sleep on a ship before. I guess it just takes some getting used to." 

"Lying isn't a good practice, Tuofah," Hugo clucked, shaking his head. "It'll get you in more trouble than it'll get you out of. Trust me, I know." 

Tuofah froze in fear, her wide eyes rising to meet those of the Auricle. 

How could she have been so stupid? Everyone knew that an Auricle could sniff out a lie in seconds from the sound of a person's voice!

"I..." 

"Save the awkward half-explanation," Hugo sighed. "You're a Tactile. You felt the presence of the 'secret' room beyond the walls of the main hallway, and now, you suspect us of being thieves, smugglers, or something of that nature. You came down here to investigate, and ran into me. Good thing is, you don't need to be scared anymore. That room's no more a secret than the Emperor's last name."

Yet another Imperial metaphor. What was up with this guy? 

"Wait...what?" Tuofah cocked her head to the side. 

"It's a storeroom," Hugo explained. "Nut didn't show bother to show it to you on the tour, because there's no reason you'll ever need to go in there. In fact, I rarely use that room myself. It's mainly for Fish, the cook. After all, he needs a large space to store enough sacks of powdered food to last us the whole journey. I'll tell you what, let's go down there right now to clear this little misunderstanding up once and for all." 

Hugo made a motion for Tuofah to follow him to the end of the hallway. She stepped hesitantly across the panels of metal flooring, feeling them pulsate with more Tactile-detectable energy than before. Even after his explanation, the boy did not have her full trust. All logic still said that he was a Djaren and was leading her into some kind of elaborate trap. Possibilities of what could lie on the other side of the wall filled her mind, adding an element of fright to her already tense situation. 

Did Nexetra Serpis herself hide in the bowels of the ship, waiting to swallow her whole?

Still, she did what he asked. It wasn't like she had another option. The guy could be quite the martinet when it came to following instructions. 

"Here it is." Hugo placed his hand on the wall beside the now-closed door that led to the cockpit. The piece of metal instantly turned red under his touch, and began to fold away in a series of painstakingly hidden triangular panels. Once the entire portion of the wall had retracted, a small entryway and the dark space beyond it were visible. 

This did nothing to ease Tuofah's suspicions. 

Why go to so much trouble to hide something if it isn't a secret? 

"Come on in," Hugo chirped in an uncharacteristically cheery voice. A wary Tuofah stepped over the newly revealed iron threshold into a marvelously large space. She gasped, turning slowly in a circle in order to get a sense of the size of the place and to snag a good look at her surroundings. Stacks of multicolored crates filled the entirety of the storeroom, leaving barely enough space for a narrow walkway through the middle. The ceiling towered high above Tuofah's head, crisscrossed with antique tube lights. 

Overall, the room was the size of a small warehouse. 

There was absolutely no way that it actually fit inside the Peenutz' ship. 

Only the Djareny were capable of such manipulation of space. 

Tuofah was almost disappointed. Every second, new clues pointed to the ghastly truth: the Peenutz were Djareny in disguise. She looked up at Hugo, taking in every detail of his very average face and frame. 

This was the boy who had offered her a chance to pull herself out of her cycle of debt. 

This was the boy who could help her fix her broken life. 

Who cares if he's also humanity's archenemy? 

"Well, thanks for showing me around, I guess," Tuofah smiled. 

"Oh, it's not a problem at all," Hugo laughed, before his expression grew more serious. "I really hate it when people get suspicious, you know. I've worked so hard to get to where I am today, and it's simply unbearable when someone just attributes that to a whole bunch of lies and manipulation. I'm not blaming you for your doubts, of course. In fact, I admire your alertness. I would be watchful, too, if I was on a small ship with five strangers. Still, I want you to know that you're perfectly safe here, Tuofah. The government won't find you as long as you're here with us. I promise." 

His smile was so genuine that Tuofah's initial uncertainties began to sink to the back of her mind. 

"And how, Hugo, can you be so sure of that?" 

At this, the boy only laughed as a distant look came over his face. "I know more about Emperor Tyllanie than you might think I do."