Free Razing Pel by A.L. Svartz

of skills, even for being the age that he
is.
     
    Phos aimed his rifle back at the
crowd of Daj chasing them.  He fired a few more bullets until
his ammo ran out.  Dropping the rifle, he reached into his
sac.  "Here!" Phos yelled, handing over a small ball that Kaj
grabbed.  "Throw it at them!"
     
    Kaj looked back and lobbed the
ball into the crowd of angry Daj.  When it made contact with
the sandy floor, it exploded, forming a cloud of smoke around the
Daj.
     
    The two finally made it to the
front of the shield.  Behind it was a Galactic Soldier
standing at his post.  He held his rifle down.
     
    "Stop!" he instructed.  "I
cannot let you in unless you have the necessary passes."  Phos
pulled out his badge and showed it to the soldier.  He studied
it for a second before pressing a button, creating a small opening
that would let the two pass through.  As he pushed the button
again to seal the off the opening, the angry crowd of Daj appeared
out of the smoke.  They screamed and yelled as they continued
to charge up to shield.  When the shield closed up, their
screams were silenced.  "You two better hurry if you wish to
catch the ship.  I was just about to head over there."
 The three made their way towards the ship.  Their
freedom was just steps away.

CHAPTER TEN
     
    THE UNPLEASANT TURN
     
     
    The three made their way through
the city. Kaj looked around, staring at the buildings and people.
 Everyone in this city seemed sluggish and depressed.
 They all looked down, not even glancing up.  The
buildings were poorly made.  They all seemed to be made of
cheap, thin metal nailed together.  Most of the buildings were
damaged in some way, whether it'd be the roof missing or a
collapsed wall.  It was a let-down for Kaj.  The way he
remembered it as a kid was far better.  The city to him was
exciting and lively.  Now, it was depressing and
disappointing.
     
    One poor old man grabbed a hold of
Kaj's shoulder.  "Please son, can you spare some money," he
said in a raspy, tired voice.  He let out a few violent
coughs.  "Please."  His long beard was stained brown, and
his clothes were falling off his bony body.
     
    "Hey!" The Galactic Soldier
yelled, noticing the situation that was going on.  He pulled
out his rifle and aimed it at the old man.  "What have I told
you!  No harassing the newcomers!  Besides, what do you
need money for?  Your world is ending.  You'd probably
just blow it anyway.  Now, release him!"
     
    The old man released his grip on
Kaj.  He dusted off his shoulder.  Kaj felt sorry for the
man, but there was nothing he could do.
     
    "Let's go," the Galactic Soldier
instructed.  They both followed.
     
    As they were leaving, Kaj turned
around and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry" to the poor old man.
 He sat there on his knees, watching them walk
away.
     
    The Galactic Soldier led them to
the line of people that were waiting to board the ship.  Most
of them were Galactic Soldiers, with a few groups of Daj
accompanying them. Kaj tried looking around to see if he could spot
anyone who was on the shuttle he was on, mainly Maj, but could
not.
     
    "I can't believe it," Phos said.
 "Today I woke up, thinking it was going to be another
ordinary day.  But it took just one person to make it an
extraordinary day."  He looked down at Kaj and patted him on
the back.
     
    The line moved fairly quickly,
with just a few more people ahead of them.  Kaj couldn't have
been more excited.  He looked over at the ship. It stood up
tall, like a rocket ship.  The ship was a dark red with
several streaks of silver lines running down it.  A few
windows were located on the ship.
     
    One young Daj, about the same age
as Kaj was standing in front of him, waiting patiently to be
boarded.  "I'll be right back," Kaj said to Phos as he walked
up to talk to the Daj.
     
    He tapped the Daj's exposed
shoulder.  His skin was far more tan than Kaj's.  The
young Daj turned around, facing Kaj.  His