“Will trouble follow you?”
“No.” A wealth of bitterness infused that statement, and I got the feeling that the breakup wasn’t Anja’s idea.
“If you were going to fight a Valoff in armor, where would you attack?”
Her eyes narrowed. “At a distance or up close?”
“Both.”
“At a distance, the armor is nigh impenetrable. A high-powered plas pistol or rifle can occasionally punch through, if you get lucky. Up close, a plas blade will penetrate under the jaw or up through the groin joint, but it’s hard to get it right.”
Either her story about being in the military was true, or she had done her research about Valovian armor. Either way, it was enough to give her a trial—and to help her get off this station.
“We leave in the morning, and we’re heading to Bastion. Prove yourself on the way and I’ll hire you for the full job. Fuck up, and I’ll leave you at the station with a week’s pay and a ticket to wherever you’d like to go.”
She smiled faintly. “Sounds like you’re incentivizing me to fail.”
“Maybe,” I agreed, “but I don’t want anyone on my ship under duress—it only leads to more problems later, so I’d rather find out early. My systems engineer will be digging into your history tonight, so if you have anything you’d like to add, now would be the time, because she will find it.”
Anja looked down and away, avoiding my gaze. Ah, so there was something else. I waited for her to gather her thoughts.
“It was the station master’s wife,” she blurted. She looked up, distress clear. “I didn’t know who she was, or even that she was married. We dated for months. I thought . . .” She trailed off, swallowed, and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. The station master found out and shadow banned me from every available job, ship, and resource. If I stay here, I’m as good as dead.”
And if I gave her a lift, the station master would likely ban me, too.
The commanders who oversaw the space stations scattered throughout the galaxy had an enormous amount of power over the people under their care. The best treated it as the responsibility it was and ensured everyone prospered. The worst let the power go to their heads and declared themselves supreme ruler, helping a select few who then maintained the status quo while everyone else suffered. Clearly this station’s commander fell into the second category.
I sighed. Getting shadow banned sucked, especially at a station like this that was the only thing around. But there was nothing for it. I couldn’t leave her behind.
“I’ll work for free,” Anja offered gruffly. She was fighting hard not to show just how desperate she was. “I can fix everything on your ship by the time we arrive at Bastion. You won’t owe me anything other than transport.”
“We leave in the morning. The terms remain the same: a week’s pay if you want off at Bastion or if you fail. Otherwise, we’re headed to Valovia, so bring your weapons and gear.” I paused in thought. “In fact, bring everything you have.” I waved an arm around the mostly empty cargo bay. “We have room for it. If you decide to stay on, we’ll figure out what to do with it.”
She nodded once, sharply, and turned to leave. She paused at the top of the ramp. “Thank you,” she murmured without turning around. She didn’t wait for me to respond before she continued on her way.
I activated my subvocal mike. “Kee—”
“I’m on it,” she confirmed. “So far, her story checks out. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”
“Thank you.”
The initial payment had landed while I was in the middle of interviews. I still couldn’t quite believe it, but I’d authorized Eli and Kee to buy what they needed. Eli was still out getting supplies, so I headed into the main part of the ship to take stock of my own equipment. I wouldn’t mind another weapon or two before we hit Valovian space.
A few meters into the ship, Luna leapt at me from her walkway along the top of the wall. Used to her antics, I snagged her out of the air, and she grumpily chirruped at me. When we were in space, I wore a padded shoulder guard that she could jump onto without ruining my clothes or skin. And she was smart enough to know not to jump on me without it, but we’d been on this station for a few days, and she was getting bored.
“I know, darling,” I said soothingly, “I’m ready to leave, too. But soon you’ll have more people to attack, and I’ll totally let you sink your claws into the Valoffs as often as you like.” I snuggled her close and scratched behind her ears.
Luna tilted her head, closed her eyes, and sent me a wave of affection. I returned the sentiment a thousand times. I didn’t know if her telepathy worked both ways, but I hoped she knew how much I adored her.
I gave her one last scratch. “How about I get my shoulder guard and then we go check the crew quarters?” I asked her. Despite her intelligence, Luna couldn’t answer, not really, but I’d gotten used to talking to her—we all had. I often overheard Kee working on a problem aloud while Luna chirped back at her.
I turned down the hallway toward my quarters and Luna stayed happily snuggled in my arms. That was answer enough.
Starlight’s Shadow was a moderately small ship, with room for twenty regular crew and overflow bunks for another dozen. The crew quarters lined both sides of a long corridor. At the far end, set apart from the rest of the quarters, four rooms served as the captain’s and officers’ quarters with single bunks and en suite bathrooms.
At this end, eight double bunks shared two large, communal bathrooms. The double bunks were divided into two sets of four, with the bathrooms between them.
I would put Anja and Lexi in the rooms at this end of the corridor—the farthest away from mine. I would usually put Lexi next to me, in the officers’ quarters, but I needed to put Torran there. I didn’t want to, but there was some truth to that old saying about keeping one’s enemies close.
The rest of the Valoffs would share the middle set of rooms. That way I would have friendly eyes on both exit points, just in case they decided to try something.
I stopped outside my door. Eli, as my first officer, had the cabin directly across the hall from me, and Kee’s quarters were beside his. They could both help keep an eye on this end of the corridor. The door next to mine seemed too close for comfort, but I would just have to deal. Separating Torran from his squad was also a good idea.
Luna chirruped and butted me with her head. I stroked a hand through her soft fur. “I know. I don’t have to like it; I just have to do it.”
The door slid open at my touch, and I wrinkled my nose in frustration. When the Valoffs arrived, I would have to start locking it again, which meant I’d have to find another way for Luna to enter and exit.
My quarters were larger than the others, with a bedroom and bathroom tucked away in separate rooms behind a small office. The additional space meant I could talk to people in private without having to invite them directly into my bedroom.
But every square meter on a ship was precious, and even though I had a bit more space than everyone else, my office was cramped. I’d managed to fit in a tiny desk and chair, a comfy guest chair, and a small bookcase. Heavy paper books were a luxury that I could ill afford, but I couldn’t bear to part with them, either.