Chapter Text
Luz dropped down onto the thin mat she called a bed, looking around the squalid room she called home. Her long brown hair dangled well past her shoulders as she brushed it behind her ears, finally revealing their rounded shape now that she was in the privacy of her room. The place was small, almost laughably so. Her bed, kitchen, toilet, and shower were all within just a few feet of each other, a large bonus from the last room she had been able to afford.
Any free space she had was filled with random bits of technology- benefits of being a scavenger. They were all in service to be used as parts for the device that sat on her bed in front of her. She looked at it with a mixture of pride and worry. It had to work. And she just knew that it would be finished soon. Her brown eyes flickered around the room once more before she shut off the light and laid down for bed.
It wouldn’t be today.
Nor tomorrow.
But she would find a way to contact her mom. She was sure of it.
—
“HUMAN ESCAPEES: BIG BOUNTIES AVAILABLE!”
Luz’s shoulders hugged her ears as she marched through the busy city. She somewhat unconsciously tugged at the hat she wore, double-checking that her ears were covered. Beside her, a long line of human slaves were being marched into town, likely to go on the market that afternoon. She clenched her fist, shutting her eyes tight as she began her walk into the desert.
The sun beat down on her tan skin, small droplets of sweat forming on her forehead as she marched toward the bright dunes. Qantir II had been the primary site of a rebellion against the Empire a century ago, though the Emperor had shut it down with such force no one dared mention the event. Luckily for her, it meant several warships had crashed through the atmosphere that were prime with parts- some to sell, and some to use.
She sighed as she worked through the day. Hours came and went on Qantir II, the sun blazing for a full fifteen hours before it set. The monotony of stripping parts meant her mind could drift, though it always went back to the same place: her .
Brown, curly hair, a wide, loving smile, and a promise to return. A promise that hasn’t been kept.
Luz shook her head, dislodging those thoughts in favor of focusing on the intact circuit board under this ship’s navigation computer. She wrapped it carefully before putting it in her “keep” bag, then moved on to the next piece.
Then again.
And again.
Luz dropped to the ground outside of the ship, her bags weighing comfortably on her body. That weight meant food, water, and survival. She took a drink out of her canteen and gazed carefully up at the sky. The sweltering heat from earlier had come down to a more manageable temperature, and the position of the sun let her know that she should head back to town. She would never try and survive a night in the freezing desert temperatures. Not again.
She trekked through the desert, stalling for a moment as the city crested over a dune. She double-checked her hair and hat to make sure her ears were covered before lifting her goggles and marching forward. From her position outside, she was able to see the tall buildings of Mid-Town, the sleek, shiny metal reflecting the light of the setting sun. A few ships took off and landed, and Luz allowed herself a few brief moments of fantasy- flying into the sky, being surrounded by the stars, free to go anywhere she wanted…
She sighed, marching to the scrapper and stepping in line. Once she was in the front, she poured out the contents of her bag, watching the large demon sift through her hard work before grunting.
“A hundred snails.”
“A hundred snails?!” Luz shouted, anger morphing her face. “This should be at least triple that!”
The demon crossed his arms, glaring. “A hundred snails. Take it or leave it.”
Luz grumbled, scooping the snails off the counter and stomping away. She sighed, looking down and counting the money, mentally adding it to what she had saved at home to see how much she could spend for dinner. Her shoulders drooped. Maybe tonight would be a “sleep for dinner” kind of night-
Her stomach rumbled loudly, making her sigh. She stopped by the market on her way home, watching her money disappear for a small bread roll and a few slices of desert hog. Barely enough to survive, but enough.
She dropped her bags on the floor as she stepped through the door, locking everything behind her as she went to heat her food. She grabbed her plate, taking a bite out of the roll as she started to sift through her findings of the day. She sat next to her long-range radio and slowly started wiring things together, letting the rest of the day fade away.
Her alarm went off, letting her know it was time to go to bed. She wrapped up what she was doing, cleaning off her plate before dropping down onto her bed. She sighed, looking at the device that she had been working on for years. She shut off the lights and closed her eyes tight, fighting off tears.
It wouldn’t be today.
Nor tomorrow.
She wasn’t even sure it would ever happen.
—
The sun crested over the hills, light breaking into the slums that surrounded the city. Luz locked her door and began her march toward the desert, stopping for a moment as something caught her eye. In an alley just a few streets from her building, a woman with a large mane of grey hair was crouched on the ground, obviously working on something.
All her instincts told her to keep walking, just ignore the woman, and keep on with her day. So naturally, Luz walked down, peering over the woman’s shoulder with burning curiosity.
“You know, if you wire it like that, it’s going to explode.”
“That’s kind of the point, kid,” the woman grunted as her slender fingers continued to work nimbly.
Luz examined the woman for a moment. She was pale, her pointed ears making it obvious she was a witch. Her golden eyes were focused on the task at hand, paying Luz no mind. The girl looked around to figure out where they were. Stuff like this wasn’t uncommon, but this woman was much more nonchalant about this than Luz would ever expect. As she retraced her path, she realized where they were: this was the jailhouse that held human slaves until they were put up for auction. Its thick walls were virtually impenetrable, as many hopeful saviors had found out in the past.
Luz walked back over, watching the woman again for a moment before humming. “If you move that red wire and attach it to your plasma coil, you’ll get a bigger explosion.”
The woman paused for a moment, looking at the device before letting out an impressed hum. Her hands started to work in the change that Luz had suggested, and the human stood up to walk away, keen to get far away from here and back to work before things went down.
“Hey, you! Stop right there!”
Unfortunately for her, she was too late.
Two large men in long, white cloaks with bird-like masks stood at the end of the alleyway, pointing in their direction. The woman beside her paid them no mind while Luz’s eyes widened in fear.
“What? No!” Luz waved her hands frantically in the air. “I-I-I-I work here!”
The guards either didn’t hear her or didn’t care, marching toward the two as they twirled their fingers in the air, a faint light blue circle shimmering in front as they readied their spells.
“We’re taking you in!”
“Aaaand done!” The woman beside her shot up to her feet, revealing her impressive height and a gold tooth glinting in the light as she grabbed Luz’s wrist. “Run!”
Luz started running to keep up with the woman, spells flying by her head as she pushed her body to the limit to gain some distance. She stumbled, falling further behind the woman who had dragged her into this mess and dropping her hat in the process. She scrambled back to her feet, bolting until a hand reached out from the shadows and yoinked her into hiding.
Panic went through her mind as a hand covered her mouth. She started breathing heavily in fear until she heard the woman’s voice whisper in her ear.
“Stay quiet. Let them pass.”
She waited a few moments until the guards ran by, then a few more to make sure they were clear before the woman released her. Adrenaline rushed through Luz’s veins as she realized what had just happened.
“I can’t be a criminal- They’ll, they’ll-”
Her breathing grew erratic, her eyes wide with fear as she ran her hands through her hair. The woman beside her leaned against the wall, rolling her eyes.
“Calm down, kid, it’s going to be-” She cut herself off as she looked at Luz again, spotting her ears for the first time since they had been uncovered. The woman bit her lip for a moment before sighing. “Okay, no, you’re right. This is pretty bad for you.”
The woman stood there, watching as Luz paced back and forth panicking. A few moments passed before she growled at herself, tossing her head back in frustration.
“Kid, it’s your lucky day.” The woman stood up, peeking out of their cover and making sure the streets were clear. “I need to get off this planet, and you’re coming with me.”
Luz stopped, looking at the woman with her mouth wide open. “What? No, ma’am- I can’t afford that!”
“I’m not charging you,” the woman said as she reached into her bag, pulling out a small comms device. She narrowed her eyes at Luz, pointing the device at her menacingly. “Call me ma’am again, though, and I’ll turn you in myself.” She grinned as Luz paled, waving off the threat with a laugh. “Now, kid, you got any belongings?” Luz nodded frantically, her eyes still blown wide in fear and confusion. “Alright, let’s get ‘em.”
—
Luz stepped into her room, brain still in a daze. What was happening? Was she really doing this? Why did she trust this woman?
She started packing up her things as realizations started to hit her. If she got caught, she’d go to jail and they’d see she was a human. Yeah, she wasn’t living lavishly now, but if they caught her, she would be sent somewhere as a slave.
These thoughts echoed in her brain as she put the small amount of belongings she had into a bag the woman had given her. After double-checking it all, she turned toward the radio and froze.
The woman saw Luz freeze up and tapped her foot impatiently. “Kid, we don’t have time for you to just stand around.”
Luz shook her head as she was brought back to the moment, pointing at the radio. “I need that.”
The woman looked at it and laughed. “Kid, that thing is too big and too heavy to take. You’ll have to leave it behind.”
Luz turned around furiously, rage plain on her face. “I can’t leave this behind! It’s the only way-” She sobbed, rage giving way to fear and discomfort. “It’s the only way I can contact my mom.”
The woman winced, biting her lip as she thought over her next words. “Where is she?”
“Off planet.”
The woman nodded knowingly, frowning. “How long?”
Luz froze, wiping at her eyes as she stared at the ground. “Eight years.”
“Eight years?!” The woman’s eyes blew wide. This girl was young, probably early teens. For her mom to have left that long ago… “Kid, I don’t know how to tell you this, but that thing couldn’t even reach across the planet, let alone other systems.”
The words echoed in Luz’s mind as she stared at the device. Every day. She had worked on that radio every day, spending time and money to put together the parts that she had scavenged, and it didn’t even work.
She reached up, wiping tears from her eyes and touching the device lightly. “Lo siento, Mama.”
She turned and walked past the woman, glancing back at the small room one last time. This felt too fast, too much, but the woman’s hand gently rested on her shoulder, prompting Luz to look up.
She was greeted by a gentle smile. “Let’s get out of here, eh?”
Luz nodded, following the woman outside as she left behind everything she knew.
They had barely made it three streets away when the guards spotted them again. Spells were thrown immediately, with the woman throwing up shields to block any shots that would slow them down. They took off, the woman raising the comms device to her lips as they ran.
“Hooty?” She huffed out. “Start the ship and get King to open up the cargo bay!” A high-pitched voice came through, though Luz couldn’t make out what it said. “We don’t have time to argue over this, just do it!”
They turned one last corner and Luz saw their getaway: a brown, round ship with large, circular windows in the front. It looked like a barn owl she had seen in a book as a kid.
The door on the back opened as they got close, a small furry demon looking at the woman with panic as they ran toward the ship.
Luz risked a glance behind her to see the guards had tripled in number. Her lapse in attention made her trip just outside the ship, and immediately a guard grabbed her wrist.
“Got her! It’s a human!”
Luz’s eyes blew wide with fear, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her ears started ringing as her heart pounded. She clenched her eyes shut, throwing up her hands as though she were trying to push the guard away.
A bright light flashed through her eyelids, and when she opened them the guards were all blinking as though they had been blinded momentarily. A hand grabbed her arm, hoisting her toward the ship as Luz scrambled to her feet, following the mysterious woman into safety.
They ran to the cockpit, where the woman dropped into one of the chairs and began flipping switches before pushing a lever to her left forward, prompting the ship to lift off the ground. Luz watched through the window in awe as the city she had lived in all her life turned into a small speck surrounded by large wafts of sand. The clouds flew by, and she blinked, her breath hitching as the ship passed through the atmosphere.
Stars hung distant in the sky, twinkling clearly on black canvas. Planets that Luz had only seen in the sky floated gently in the black water of space. Her knees weakened as she looked through the window, and she dropped into the copilot seat as she stared in awe.
The woman next to her hit a few switches, jumping to a different system before collapsing in her chair. She glanced over at the young human who was still staring out into the endless wonder of space.
She waited a few moments, looking out at the stars and smiling. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Luz nodded, unable to vocalize as she continued staring at the stars in amazement.
The woman shuffled in her seat, leaning back and closing her eyes as the adrenaline left her body. “You coulda told me you had a trick like that up your sleeve.”
Luz tore her eyes away from the window to look at the woman curiously. “Trick like what?”
The woman opened one eye, peering at Luz as she quirked an eyebrow. “You mean you don’t know what you did? With the flash of light?”
Luz’s brow furrowed. She had been lying on the ground when that flash happened. “I thought that was you.”
The woman shook her head, sitting up and looking at Luz curiously. “No, kid, that was all you.”
Luz scoffed, laughing. “Come on, quit joking.” She shook her head. “Humans can’t do magic. Only witches can do magic.”
The woman steepled her fingers, biting her lip as she took in what she had seen: the kid on the ground, hands thrown out as if she wanted to shove the guards when a symbol appeared in the air in front of them before bursting into a bright flash of light, blinding the guards.
She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she tried to think of any other reason that could have happened. “That wasn’t witch magic, kid.” She sat up, looking at Luz in a new light.
“It was Titan magic.”