Imperial Orders

♕The Enemies♕

The first three days of the mission were officially over, and Tuofah still did not know what to think of Hugo Lennez Pearce. 

It seemed as if he lived a life of polar opposites. Sometimes, he was a stern captain, ever ready to assert his power and lord over his motley crew. He mercilessly carped at even the young, innocent Nut and frequently stormed off to his private room for a "break." It was easy to remember his probable Djareny identity at times like these, and a resentful Tuofah easily imputed all of her life's problems to the tall, spacefaring boy. 

Yet, his angry spells never lasted. At times, he was kind, and surprisingly forgiving. In the eight long hours that had transpired since the incident, he had not spoken to Tuofah once about her suspicious presence in the ship's halls at night. If it had caused him to doubt her in any way, he did not show it. Despite the fact that the ship had been beset by a host of technical and mechanical issues that fell under the umbrella of her expertise ever since the onset of the voyage, the captain had not so much as suggested that she begin working on rectifying these problems. Instead, he employed crude, temporary solutions such as plugging leaks with dirty washcloths. It was clear that he did not want to cause her unneeded trouble. 

Why, then, did he chastise her for her laziness just minutes after wishing her a pleasant morning? 

"Tuo?" 

The Tactile shifted in her seat, still absorbed in her wandering thoughts. She thought she heard the faint echo of her name being called, but thought nothing of it. Her hearing was far from the most developed of her senses, and it often occupied a place at the back of her mind. What was the point of listening to what she heard, when her hands told her a thousand times more through what she felt? 

"Tuo!" 

The call came again, this time more insistent. The Tactile's eyes flew open, and she stared at the Captain of the Peenutz in disbelief. He stood before her, dressed in ripped jeans and a flannel shirt. She found it difficult to read his expression as he stood, stoic, before her, looking down at her from his standing position with his arms crossed. 

"I'm sorry," she shook her head. "Your ship just has so much to say. It's hard to ignore it." 

Hugo nodded slowly, a soft smile coming over his face. "I don't blame you. Sometimes, when I'm alone in here at night, I hear a thousand voices calling to me. This ship's certainly got a history." 

This vague answer from the captain about the past of his own ship should've sounded alarm bells in Tuofah's brain, but the tired Tactile only managed to be relieved that he was in a decent mood. 

It seemed as if she was always tired, these days. 

All this time with no work to do is making me lazy, she thought grudgingly to herself. This certainly wouldn't do her good when she returned to her shop. 

If all of this worked out, she'd never have to look at that stupid shop again. 

She found that this imbued her with improved morale. All she had to do was get through roughly seven more weeks of this, and she would go home with one hundred thousand Marks. One hundred thousand beautiful, copper coins. The thought of the cool metal sliding through the gaps between her fingers brought a smile to her face. 

"I bet it does," Tuofah laughed. 

Hugo nodded, absentmindedly running the fingers of his left hand through his hair. "Tuo...I've gotta tell you something. I didn't tell you before, because...well, honestly, I thought you wouldn't want to come with us if I did. I can't keep it from you anymore, though. It's too important, and unless I'm completely wrong, it's about to get very real." 

"What?" Tuofah tilted her head to the side. Hugo wasn't usually this serious about anything, much less a simple conversation. It was clear that he was about to reveal something important...his species? Perhaps, he was a good Djaren, a traitor to Nexetra Serpis...

The more Tuofah thought about this idea, the more unrealistic it seemed. The Djareny, unlike humans, had no concept of politics. There were no government offices, parties, or debates. There were just those who were strong, and those who weren't. Serpis was strong, and any Djaren would be able to recognize that. 

"I have powerful enemies," Hugo gulped, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his shirt. "More powerful enemies than a simple pilot should have, for various reasons that I'd rather not discuss at this moment. I did not create the Peenutz to give a group of orphaned children a purpose in life. In fact, it was the most selfish thing I have ever done. I did it to cover up my tracks- to build a protective shell around myself. People searching for a lone teenage boy won't think to search a ship with a crew of six kids, after all."

"After a while, I realized that my strategy was no longer working. Someone was following me- trying to lure me into deep space to finish me off. So, I looked for a new addition to the crew: a new distraction. It had to be someone who'd be desperate enough for cash to work with me on such short notice. You were exactly what I needed," he shook his head, looking ashamed of himself. 

"You never needed a Tactile after all!" Tuofah fumed, rising from her chair in a fit of fury. "You used me!" 

"That should be the least of your worries right now!" Hugo yelled, although his tone conveyed more terror than it did anger. "I'm so, so sorry, Tuo...you don't deserve this. I'm the one who does. This should be happening to me, not to you and the poor Peenutz." 

"Wait...what?" Tuofah whimpered, now fearing his answer. 

"This," Hugo said darkly as an unseen force slammed into the back of the ship, sending both Tuofah and the Captain of the Peenutz straight into the wall across from them.