Daring to Dream

Chapter Two

I looked around to find my mom, but I couldn't see her. All I saw was a walking dustbin, who kept beeping at me.

"What?" I yelled over its squeals.

It jabbed a – screwdriver? – at the ship, as if telling me to climb inside. I jumped in there, while the droid pulled my things onboard. The ship was as large as my room, with a cockpit, an area large enough to walk in, and – thank goodness – a toilet. I walked over to the cockpit, a comfy seat and three windows awaiting me, shining in the light of the console beeping below me.

[If you want a clearer picture, the reference is Omega's ship from the epilogue]

"Do you have any clue where my mom is?" I tried to ask the bot, stretching my arms in the seat.

In response, it played a transmission. My mom was standing there, but she seemed in a hurry.

"Zoya, if you're seeing this, this is my droid, R4-B7," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't come, but I had to go on an emergency mission and I sent my droid."

Gee, thanks Ma. I felt bitter already; no matter how busy he was, my dad always came to pick me from school if I got sick. I meet her for the first time in years and she can't even spare me some time?

"When this shuttle lands, it will land at the station for checks and repairs, so if you wanna come over to me, the droid will guide you to the nearest transport system. I've already booked a seat for you, so let R4-B7 handle it all. Can't wait to see you!"

Okay, so this droid is supposed to be my guide. I looked back to see if Dad was there, and he was. Waving to him, I told the droid to take off.

I loved taking off, and seeing Dad, our blue car, and the city grow smaller and smaller, as I skyrocketed. I whooped with joy unbound when I finally broke the atmosphere. Things I used to dream about were coming true before my eyes.

I was absolutely mesmerized by the inky black sky surrounding me, dotted with stellar constellations I've only heard of in my science lessons. I wanted to go outside the window and enjoy the space, but I knew I'd die the most painful death if I did so. I wish Dad were here with me, he loves stars.

I couldn't remove my gaping face from the window as my eyes tried to take in every star, comet, planet that passed us. Mom told me the planet I was going to – Coruscant – belonged to a whole new galaxy, so I knew for sure it wasn't going to take an hour or so to reach there.

I looked at the screen, with strange symbols all over it. The only thing I could recognize was the number three.

"Uh, hey, any translator on it? It's kinda hard to read something I don't know," I ask the droid.

"Ah yes, mistress, forgive me for my insolence," a robot – female, by the sound of it - came walking to me, giving me a jumpscare as I thought myself to be the only one on board, "I am C-9DZ, your mother's maintenance droid. I am in fluent in at least 1 million forms of communication, and I can do almost any task you give me. I was just repairing my jammed cogs, that's why I couldn't attend to you. What did you require a translator for?"

Still amazed to see a walking and talking droid, and thinking how the hell does she know one million forms when only seven thousand languages exist?, I pointed towards the screen. "think you can tell me how long the journey will last?"

"Your total journey is to be of four days."

"FOUR?" I gasped, never having gone on a drive for more than a day.

"Since we are at lightspeed," the droid continued, ignoring me gaping like a fool at her, everything passing over my head, "the journey to Coruscant will take only three days, otherwise taking more than your life, possibly longer. We shall dock at the nearest space station from where I and this rust bucket," she kicked the little droid, reminding me of my chaotic cousins, "will take you to the Jedi Council on Coruscant on a shuttle, a one-day journey."