by Eden Ember
“Fuel it, add fuel cells to the bounty. Ready it for quick ascent once I return,” I said as I handed the Oarviel my Instarn card. He nodded in curt agreement while I made my way out of the bay and onto the space station.
“Darmonkle,” I uttered as I took in the vastness of the space station. My hand dug in my pocket and pulled out another Instarn. The small skid vessels worked much faster than my feet as I took the key and launched onto the main segway. Such a big station, I had to get to the other side as quickly as possible. The Boing Rail sped through on magnetic tracks, some cars carrying vessels. I pulled into the waiting line and grabbed a passage ticket for the next Boing Rail.
The area shuddered while the rail transport slowed and came to a stop. Finally, with my small personal transport secured on the platform, the boing rail sped off, traveling much faster than I could on the small personal transport alone. My heart pounded in anticipation as I waited for release near the enormous ship bays.
The personal transport sped along once I excited the Boing Rail. I had counted as the Night Rigor parked earlier at bay sixteen. My heart told me of Mare’s nearness when I reached the bay. The interior of the space station held parking pads for the personal transports. A Targonian took my currency while I secured a pad and parked my transport. Skleen wouldn’t think to search for me or Mare at this parking space. I’m sure he wouldn’t even rent a transport, as he could do his business nearby and on foot. I only hoped Mare would be easy to find. My hand patted the hidden weapons within my uniform while I kept in the shadows, watching closely for any sign of Skleen. They wouldn’t be expecting me here, so I strode ahead without a disguise.
I ducked quickly, turning my back and acting as if I were shopping at a booth when Skleen and his men walked past. I turned and followed them from a distance, tuning my translation implant to better hear their conversation.
“Not long here. We do our business and we leave,” Skleen told the others.
The place crawled with Oarviels, the common beings who came from one of the vegetative planets. The rusty red jackets and brown pants set them apart from the visitors of the space station. Three bays down was the headquarters for the big ship bay workers. I made my way there quickly. The area crawled busily, giving me enough cover to duck inside. Finding the changing rooms and closets, I plucked out an outfit that would fit me. I found another, much smaller one meant for a female Oarviel, with the dust blue jacket, the ones the workers of the booths wore. Big interior pockets meant for tools lined the inside of the jacket, enough room for my clothes.
Once back in the main corridor I blended in perfectly with the workers. No one took notice of me. Oarviels kept to themselves, hardworking beings who flew in to work and gather their pay. They were not known for making trouble. I easily towered above them. I spied a few beings other than Oarviels who also wore the same uniform. Good, it made for an easy disguise for me, then.
Bay sixteen loomed ahead as I walked with the same pace as the other workers so as not to draw attention to me. The fuelers worked on the Night Rigor, adding fuel cells and filling their reserves. Others were busy tending to ship maintenance, with rusty red uniformed workers climbing on and off the craft.
Skleen and his entourage came back to the ship while carrying crates. It happened too quickly for me to sneak on board. He paused at the hatch door, speaking with an Oarviel. I tuned my ears to listen, trying to figure out where they headed in case I wasn’t able to rescue Mare immediately.
“We will be en route for thirty cycles, if not longer. We will be crossing the Hypordemial Belt and going through two wormhole bursts. Make sure that we have plenty of fuel cells in reserve. I don’t want to stop again before reaching Rezarve,” Skleen told them.
I froze in my spot. The Hypordemial Belt contained so many asteroids and wreckages that it was nearly impossible to fly through. In a star system on the other side of the center of the galaxy, it only held hope for those traveling with vast experience. Even Gandrox and the Torq Runner would burst through multiple wormholes to avoid it. However, to reach Skleen’s home system and Rezarve, the major planet in the Sarnorea System, one had to fly through the Hypordemial Belt. It framed the Sarnorea System, offering great security. I’m not sure if Skleen was actually from Rezarve or if he chose it for the remoteness of the system and the security offered by the Belt. Whatever the case, I needed to get Mare off the Night Rigor and back to safety as soon as possible.
The workers carried in the crates closest to the open hatch. I pursed my lips and whistled as I grabbed a crate and hoisted it to my shoulder. The pungent odor of yelsun fruit reached my nose. Many ships carried this fruit because of its longevity. It made a tasty juice when watered down with hanylap drops. I pictured Mare drinking this as I followed the workers through the short hall to the cargo bay. My eyes searched frantically for Mare, but with no sign of her I had to go farther into the ship. Two workers pointed to a long and heavy crate and motioned for me to follow. Escaping into the ship would have to wait. The three of us lifted the heavy crate and carried it onto the ship. When I tried to head to the cargo bay, they shook their heads, and we moved inside. Good! My keen eyes looked about, mapping the area as we walked along and past the engine room. Another room, full of crates not containing food, nearly filled the entire floor space. Whatever the crates contained, they didn’t want it near the food. The two workers sandwiched me so that I couldn’t easily take off as we walked back to the docking station.
I needed to explore the ship more. Every time I tried, another worker or two would be nearby. They kept me busy. Skleen had ordered so much cargo, that I wondered if the heavy crates would weigh the Night Rigor down too much for take off. We kept pushing the crates into both the engine compartment and the cargo hold.
“Take to the engine room,” the worker told me.
I breathed with relief when no one followed me. I had the chance to search for Mare. The path to the engine room didn’t veer much, but there were corridors along the way that I wanted to check. Taking my chances, my feet started down one corridor. Two workers shouted to me.
“Open the hatch, make a spot,” one of them said.
Before I turned back, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. Something petite, something hidden in the shadows. The pounding of my heart spoke to my head. Mare! I had to leave the spot and help the workers or else I’d tip them to the reason I was really there.
“Back out, we have two more. Grab one,” the one said to me.
My eyes peeled off in the direction I’d seen her, or I thought I’d seen her. It had to be her. My heart never beat this hard before.
Chapter 9
MARE
“Yes,” I whispered as the key slid within the locking chamber effortlessly. It was pitch black in the room and all I had were my hands to guide me. I slid the door up and dropped the flat key onto the floor of the cage. Creeping along, I made my way to the back of the room and opened crates, trying to find the perfect hiding spot. The contents of one crate rested on beds of hay. Whatever it was, I couldn’t see it. Smaller boxes lined the top. I stuffed as much of the hay into another crate, while feeling my way with my hands until I had enough room to squeeze inside and hide.
The waiting took forever. Cramped inside the crate, I kept still and quiet. When the door finally opened, the shuffling of feet at first came silently. The dim lights flickered on and there were no gasps, no exclamations that I’d disappeared. Maybe it wasn’t Skleen. Perhaps it was a ship worker or even a bay worker. They wouldn't know about me if Skleen said nothing. The shuffling disappeared and returned with the sound of something stacked on the other side of the room.
“What’s that?” asked a male voice.
I peered between the crate slat at the two workers, beings I’d never seen before. They spoke one of the common languages because my implant picked up on it immediately. The other being shrugged as they shoved the cage out of the way and set larger crates down. My face stretched into a big smile, because wh
en they left, the door stayed open and presented me with the perfect opportunity to escape.
Quickly, I opened the crate and climbed out, my body screaming from being cooped up for so long. The sounds of shuffling in another cargo room reached my ears as I crept away from the room. The hatch door laid open, bay workers moved in and out, carrying large and small crates. I waited in the shadows, hoping to find when I could slip out unseen, but too many were there. The possibility that I could walk by without a word from them pushed me onward toward the hatch. Fear gripped me as Skleen’s voice came closer. Before panic set in, I raced inside the ship and to a stockroom, hoping no one would check inside there. More crates lined the walls, but not as many as in the cargo bay. I rushed to one and found it half full of parts for the engine room. Before the footfalls reached the room, I snuggled myself into the crate, contorting my body unnaturally to fit, and held my breath.
After several minutes of silence passed, I opened the crate and unfold my body. Shuffling footsteps coming up the hall caused me to dive back inside, keeping the lid tightly closed. My foot cramped, the muscle spasm nearly causing me to scream out in pain. Finally, the group left the crates and I popped the top back open and stretched. Knots formed in the bottoms of my feet and my toes twisted unnaturally. My fingers massaged the knots until they subsided. Having bare feet all the time only hurt me. I quickly shut the crate and started toward the door. I made it to the corridor and more footsteps caused me to dive behind an open door, hoping the empty room stayed empty. With the lights out, I couldn’t make out anything other than the light from the corridor.
The workers filed in, one after the other. My heart quickened each time, fearing they’d turn into the room with me. Each time, they filed by, taking crates to the engine room. One red-clad alien stood taller than the others and the way he carried himself seemed very familiar. Taking a huge chance, I stepped from the room for a closer look. He turned after placing the crate on the floor, his eyes scanning the room. Light blue eyes, sparkling and very familiar. When he turned his eyes met mine for a split second. Xyru! His eyes widened as another worker stepped in front of him. I took off and hid in the room, just in case. By the time they walked by, Xyru had gone with them.
Skleen’s people came in, their distinct voices chattering about some belt they would fly into. I didn’t catch every word as I quickly turned and rushed into a small storage closet inside the room. The shelves gave me very little room to stand. I cleared off the bottom shelf by pushing the items onto the top shelves and shoved myself into it, hoping that if the door opened no one would notice me. Again, I had to contort my body to fit. Sure enough, the Egars came into the room and light flooded around the cracks of the doors.
“Secure everything. The Hypordemial Belt will be treacherous. The ship may take on damage and if we are lucky, it will be minor,” he said to his cohort.
I swallowed hard as something rattled the doors of the closet. Thankfully, the doors remained closed. I shut my eyes, counting to seventy while the rats took forever to secure the room. Finally, the lights dimmed, and the room grew silent. I let out my breath and crawled out of the bottom shelf, stretching my body. When I tried the door, it didn’t budge. Dammit! They had secured the door, no doubt to keep it from opening during takeoff.
The doors wouldn’t budge except for a bit as I pushed and shoved. Should I scream for help? Perhaps one worker would hear me and let me out. They wouldn’t know about me and I could run away from them. I needed to get off the ship before it took off. Xyru had somehow followed, and he saw me. He’d stop at nothing to save me now. I knew this beyond any shadow of a doubt. He had followed us across the stars. Where were we? The landing felt like a space station rather than a planet. At least I had some hope in knowing that Xyru wanted to save me.
I kept shoving on the door, and each time it gave a little more. Whenever I heard footsteps in the corridor, I stopped and climbed to the bottom shelf, just in case someone were to come into the room. If Xyru were looking for me, perhaps he’d whisper my name and hope to find me. The sound of his voice never came, and I kept working on the door. If I knew what kind of device secured the door, I could work more effectively. It seemed such a rushed design, so I’m guessing that they shoved something through the door handles to keep the doors from flying open. Finally, after what felt like hours, a loud pop followed by the doors opening. The plastic looking piece laid on the floor, split in two. I quickly exited the storage room and rushed to the door. The stock room door shut and the corridor was quiet. Perhaps this was my opportunity as I found the exit hatch.
Vibrations shuddered throughout the ship as the giant engines hummed to life. I panicked as I steadied my hand on the walls. I knew better. The engines wouldn’t fire unless the ship was ready to launch and all doors and hatches were closed tightly for liftoff. A sob escaped my lips as I rushed to the back and saw the giant door to the exit hatch closed tightly. Lift off caused me to lose my footing, and I fell to the floor. Exiting the station or planet required their seatbelts to be secured. Someone walked up the adjacent corridor and I ran back to the stockroom. Though it was dark, I dove inside and squeezed in between the tightly packed crates. Climbing over one, I landed in a heavy thud against the back wall. If they came in here they’d have to dig through to find me. At least I had a little more room here than I did in the cage or in the Engine room closet.
The cramped space offered more room to stretch out, as I slid to the floor and curled my knees under my chin. Soon, tears filled my eyes and threatened to fall down my cheeks. I had missed my chance. Xyru was surely on the surface of the space station, frantically looking for me. Perhaps he thought that I would have escaped. What little hope I had before suddenly drained from my body. While I could chance trying to find the escape hatch again, I didn’t want to risk it. If Skleen found me again, there was no telling what he would do to me. This time would be much worse, I feared. He probably thought that I had left the ship already and had given up on me. I’d hunker down where I was until we landed again, then I’d escape, somehow.
Lucky for me, the stockroom door stayed closed. Lucky for me, I believed Skleen had probably given up on me, most likely thinking that I had abandoned the ship before they took off. Otherwise, he’d tear the ship apart if he thought I was still on it. I’m sure he saw the empty cage in the cargo room already and assumed I scampered off into the space station. I’m surprised he didn’t turn around to find me. Maybe the station was so big that he knew it would be nearly impossible. Maybe he left a few of his cronies behind to search for me. Smiling to myself, I adjusted my spot, but I needed to use the bathroom. I could hold it for long times especially after being in that horrid cage, but nature was quickly taking hold.
I crept toward the door and listened. The corridor resounded with footsteps. Each time one came close, I dove back into my spot, but they never opened the door. The panel stayed lit and didn’t have a locking device on it like the door to my first room did. The dim light gave me just enough illumination to spy a small receptacle can in the far corner, located beside a giant shelving unit. Squatting over helped relieve the pressure I felt. The crates held hay, which cradled the precious cargo within. From the looks of it, I shared the stockroom with parts for the engine room, which explained why I could hear the hum so loudly. The hay covered my mess in the receptacle as well as the odor. At least I had that and could rest easier without making an obvious mess on the floor or within one crate.
Several crates had thick material like blankets inside which wrapped the parts. I carefully took a couple of them and stretched the remaining material around the parts so that hopefully no one would notice. My nest hid behind the larger crates, giving me a place to stand without being easily seen. Should someone enter the room, I’d still be able to hide since the crates surrounding me contained the same items. I planned to make my way to the escape hatch when I am certain that the coast was clear. I would somehow fly back to the space station and find Xyru.
Cha
pter 10
XYRU
I thought the damn Gergs would never leave me alone. Staying by the only opened hatch to the ship, I kept my eyes open and scanning for Mare. She never made an appearance. Skleen and his Egars returned.
“Ship’s leaving in ten,” the head Egar proclaimed to the dock workers.
Before the hatch door closed, I had to search for Mare. I’d seen her near the engine room. Being in disguise gave me some freedom on the ship, but at this point I had to be careful. Peeking inside the engine room, I grimaced as a Thorinkha caught sight of me when I stepped inside the door.
“You, what are you doing here?” he demanded. The engineer gawked at me as I smiled and nodded.
“Sorry, looking for the engine room. I dropped my manifesto there while delivering a crate earlier. All these doors look the same to me,” I told him.
“Next door,” he growled.
As I stepped back outside the door, I let out an enormous sigh of relief. That could have turned out badly. I opened the door and looked inside. I saw nothing but the crates that I had moved away. I’d seen Mare around this area earlier. Perhaps she’d gone into the control room.
The door closed and latched, an automated response when the engines hummed to life. Before I could reach the door and make a run for it, the giant ship shuddered as it lifted off from the space station. No, no, no! What if Mare had exited while I was back here looking for her? What if she didn’t? Now I had to fight to maintain calm as the Night Rigor sped away from the space station and Torq One.
Once the ship cleared the space station, the latch unlocked on the door. I crept through it unseen and realized quickly that I needed a new disguise. I could always claim that I had gotten caught on the ship, unaware as a dock worker, if they caught me. I only hoped that no one on the ship were the same workers in the fields or the guards at the facility on Av’Na. Otherwise, they’d probably believe my story. I needed a new disguise, one of a ship worker so that I could blend in easier. These giant ships had many workers and it would be easy to blend in with the right uniform.
