Cal opened his eyes. “Another day on the plantation.” he thought. He was less than excited for another days worth of grueling work on his family's plantation. He had plans to leave Theia, but he had yet to put them into action. His plan relied on him stowing away on one of the freighters that occasionally stopped in the city, which was much easier said than done. Cal sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. He had to mentally prepare himself for the coming day. He sat for a minute before getting up. Finally, he gave in and got out of bed. He pulled on some clothes and left his room to get some food before starting his chores. His mother, Julia, was in the kitchen making something. “Probably involving nub fruit, just like everything around here.” Cal thought to himself. Cal grabbed a container of nub fruit cereal out of the pantry and sat at the kitchen table. He opened the container and started eating.

“Would you like some nub fruit coleslaw?” Julia asked Cal.

“No. Why does everything always have to be nub fruit?” Cal asked, annoyed.

“Cal, we own a nub fruit plantation. Plus, this season has been pretty poor for exportation, so we have a surplus.”

Cal finished his cereal quickly and got up.

“I’m going out to join dad.”

Cal exited the homestead. Outside it was hot and muggy, and the thick jungle air filled Cal’s lungs. Theia, Cal’s homeworld, was covered in dense jungle. Theia was a backwater world, far off from any major trade route. Occasionally a free trader or a commercial cargo ship would make a stop on Theia, but most stayed away. There was little reason to go there, especially for those trying to make credits. The only thing worthwhile about the planet was the abundance of nub fruit, but even then, just barely. Most people simply didn’t like how it tasted, so the market for nub fruit was overwhelmingly small.

Cal looked around to see if he could find his father, but he was nowhere to be seen. So Cal decided to check the workshop, his dad’s favorite place on the plantation, possibly even the whole planet. The workshop was on the other side of the plantation; Cal could see it from where he was. He began the trek through the rows of Aicherra plants that covered the majority of the plantation's land. He passed by the long wooden building that was the worker’s quarters. After a few minutes worth of walking, Cal came to the workshop. The workshop was a large wooden building where Cal’s dad worked on the decrepit farm equipment. Cal wished they would get new equipment but knew it was too expensive for his family, especially since it would have to be imported. Inside the workshop, Cal found his dad, Matthew. He was underneath a grav-sled, tools of all kinds lying on the floor around him.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“Dad, is there anything I can do?” Cal asked.

“Not here, but you can help Denton clean the water pump filters.”

“Alright, dad, whatever you say.”

As soon as Cal stepped out of the workshop, Pennie, the plantation varion, came up to him and sat at his feet. Cal had always been Pennie’s favorite. She had bonded with him soon after coming to the plantation, and now she followed him everywhere. Cal reached down and patted her on the head. Then, after a moment or two, Cal started to walk toward the river by the edge of the plantation. He found Denton, one of the workers, by the water pump, just beginning to take it apart.

“Good morning Denton. How goes the work?” Cal asked.

“Well, I just started. So you’re just in time to help.” Denton replied.

“Great. What can I do?”

“You can help me lift the filter out of the housing. It’s too heavy for just me.”

The plantation had an industrial water pump in the river for drinking water and irrigation purposes. Cal helped Denton lift the cover and place it on the ground next to the pump. Then Denton unscrewed the large screws holding the filter in place. Once he had finished, Cal helped lift the filter up and out of the housing, placing it on a nearby grav-sled.

“Let’s go wash this out,” said Denton “follow me.”

Denton pushed the grav-sled towards the workshop, and Cal followed close behind. Next to the workshop was a washing station meant to clean the farm equipment. It worked well to clean the water filters too. Cal helped Denton lift the filter of the grav-sled and place it down so they could clean it. Denton turned the cleaning pump on, and water started to flow out of the attached hose. Cal picked it up and aimed it at the filter. The water stream made quick work of the built-up gunk.

After the filter had been cleaned, Denton and Cal placed it back on the grav-sled and took it back to the main pump. As they were putting to back in the housing, Cal heard a loud roar coming from above. He looked up and saw a burning ship flying through the sky. It passed overhead, and a few seconds later, Cal heard a large crash coming from the jungle. Cal quickly got up.

“We’ve got to go see if there are any survivors! I’ll go tell dad and get some supplies. You go get a speeder ready!”

Cal ran off towards the homestead, Pennie following in his footsteps. He burst through the door.

“Mom, Dad, there’s been a crash! Denton and I are going to go check for survivors!” Cal yelled.

He grabbed a medkit off the wall and the rifle next to the door. He pushed the door open and ran to the speeder that Denton had prepared. It was a CX-4 cargo sled with a flatbed and only one seat. Cal jumped on and sat on the bed, grabbing a handhold to steady himself. Denton maneuvered the speeder through the jungle towards the spot where the ship should have crashed.