It was grueling work, his fingers blistered from the weight and design of the crates. He couldn’t afford good gloves and didn’t want to waste his hard earned money on something like that if he could, in stead, be sleeping in a real bed and eating real food. It was at times like these that he missed his family the most-- not because he was doing hard work, but at the end of the day he’d be able to go home to proud smiles matching his and loving warmth surrounding him. Now, all he looked forward to was a different warmth and another strangers’ bed, another night working, another life to be led.
Lo’Kai was sure he had sunburn on his shoulders already, not being able to truly feel it over the strain of his muscles. This was what his life had become and he had to remind himself daily that it was this or starve. It would be easier to deal with if this whole situation was of his own accord but it wasn’t his fault, couldn’t possibly have known he’d one day leave his planet without consent and without having signed with a crew; he’d dreamed of leaving, but never like this.
“Boy!” It was what he’d become in the shipping yard, a boy, with a thin frame and thinner arms; a boy. “Finish that up and come here, I have your transfer money.” Kai nodded but there was a foul taste in his mouth, rotten and foreboding.
“I’ve found someone faster and stronger, this is your last day.” The taste in his mouth became suffocating. He couldn’t only work at night and he couldn’t spend his days in the entertainment district too, it was his one break from that. There were no other jobs left for him on Bajor and he didn’t have a ship, couldn’t even leave the confines of this prison planet with his ID bracelet in tact, the Empire made sure of that. It left him feeling sick and woozy, head feeling like it was off-kilter and not tightly attached to the rest of his body.
The ship he’d been transferring cargo onto looked like an escape, beautifully large and had him thinking about home once more. Duros was so out of reach and yet he kept yearning and stretching his hand out at night to the stars.
Kai knew nothing of the ship, of the captain or crew. He knew nothing of them but perhaps if he hid well enough he could wait it out until they stopped somewhere, anywhere, that wasn’t Bajor and he could make his escape. His bracelet had to have limits, had to break at some point, and maybe all he needed was to withstand the shocks and pain for a certain distance and it would fizzle out from how far away he would be from their system.
What he did know was how ships worked and how they were usually set up, and he was going to use it to his advantage. There was nothing of value left on Bajor that he’d need to take, no pictures of his family or personal belongings, so when the time came and no one was watching he slipped in the cargo hold.
He knew somewhere there had to be and opening for him to hide but he wasn’t about to stay in the cargo hold so he moved in to a random hall and felt along the walls until he found the tell tale sign of panel. It opened up after some working and Kai peeked his head through as he felt the ship leave its dock in the Bajor loading area. There were wires everywhere but Kai knew he could fit through tight spaces, had done it before as a kid, and knew he took after his father who knew a thing or two about getting out of slippery situations.
He eventually made his way through, tripping only a few times over wires and positioning himself in a small alcove beside the workers’ control system. It would probably be a long flight but he had to make sure no one found him, especially as his bracelet started off with its warning shocks; he could only grit his teeth and hope for the best as his body moved against the currents.
