It had been about an hour, and Zintu Rock was still being rattled by some big blowout. The energies travelled through people’s deaths, suffering, fear, the spreading knowledge of those not directly affected by it, and the echoes that were being cast into this place’s future. This habitat wasn’t dying, but it sure was being injured.

And all Saketa could do was stand still, stay on guard, and let it all wash over her awareness.

She had initially stayed to defend Lesi, and their sole mode of transport. Then there had been those three girls, whom she could in no way justify leaving. Her obligation had only strengthened, fully stranding her in place, while Zamm remained out of contact.

The dock workers were getting snippets, at least, of what was going on. There were comm calls, and two separate times people familiar to the owner had come running and spoken to him in high-strung but quiet voices. Everyone was more tense about everything, including her undisguised presence. She was getting looks, the owner had equipped some of his people with long-guns and placed them at the entrances, one of other docked ships had taken off, and the crew of another was in a hurry to leave.

“Saketa? What do you think?” Lesi said, from her spot with the ship.

“I told you, Lesi, I cannot read such fine details as the fate of one man,” Saketa told her. “He did say he was going deep in. It would take him a while to return, and I think it is too early for despair.”

“Maybe. But I am worried.”

“Of course you are. But just focus on your task, and I will do the same.”

“One could argue that the task is done already,” Lesi replied. “The ship is space-worthy. We can leap safely. All that’s left is some fine-work I can do out in space myself. But why not use these worker bees if we can? We just… need Zamm.”

Saketa turned at a hiss, and found Shmia peeking out the airlock. Again.

“You really should stay inside,” Saketa told her. Again.

This time she did emphasise her words by approaching the girl. Shmia had recovered from her ordeal enough to recover some youthful swagger, but it did waver a bit as Saketa came up to her.

“Something is happening, isn’t it?” Shmia said. “Whatever it is, it has started.”

“All I know for certain is that this dock is probably the safest place for you and the others,” Saketa told her. “But you are safer still inside the ship. I am willing to protect you, but you will make it easier for me if you stay inside.”

Shmia looked Saketa’s suit up and down, lingered on the sword, and then met her gaze.

“You really are a Warden, aren’t you? The real thing.”

“I am.”

“There is… just something about you. I swear I can sense it, somehow. Like electricity.”

“Some people have a touch of sensitivity,” Saketa told her. “Or perhaps it is simply my bearing.”

“Well, I have never thought of myself as being somehow special. And you are pretty scary. Even when you are being… I guess, nice.”

“Are you upset with me over something?” Saketa asked, not quite sure what she was sensing from the girl.

“Upset? No. I just have some family that hate you. Your people, I mean. It comes up a fair deal. But I am glad you are between me and…”

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She pointed.

“All that.”

“Well, one more time, make it easy for me, and-”

“I’m back!” Zamm announced on their comm channel.

Saketa looked towards the entrances, and seconds later Zamm came through one of them. On a skinny little hover-scooter. His face was hidden by a scarf, but Saketa recognised the suit. And there was the blue box under his arm.

Zamm buzzed up to the ship, hopped off the scooter, and met his sister. Instead of a hug, he held up the box.

“Now this… was not easy to get. Or bring. Please tell me it got through unscathed. Because I took a couple of bullets for this thing. Among other things.”

Lesi flipped the lid open, looked at the stabiliser, took it and turned it every which way, then put a scanner to work.

“Yes. This is good.”

“And the ship?”

“Good enough. We’re leaving.”

“We sure are.”

Lesi closed the lid.

“Bring this inside. Very carefully.”

“You should have seen how I brought it over.”

“I should probably be glad I didn’t.”

She turned to the work crew and clapped her hands twice.

“Alright, we are taking off. Hitting the lanes. Blasting off. Thanks for your work. Which we actually paid for, but whatever. Thanks for not being dumb enough to pull anything. Please take your tools, leave my own, and mind the Warden.”

The crew had been working with a visible air of tension ever since Saketa’s big reveal, which Zintu Rock’s troubles had done nothing to soothe, and they looked happy to be off. Zamm did take the stabiliser inside, and Saketa helped Lesi gather her tools.

“Alright, girls,” Lesi announced as they went back inside. “This is decision time. You are free to come with us or to step off, but you have to decide now.”

Shmia gave Saketa one look, thought about things for one moment, then looked at the two other girls.

“I am going with you,” she announced. “If we stay, we just end up back there.”

The other two, who sat tucked away behind the table, nervously holding hands, nodded after a few seconds.

“Yes,” the blond said. “We’ll… we… I want to get back home.”

“We’ll drop you off somewhere nice and safe and connected to safe routes,” Zamm said as he strode by on his way to the cockpit. At the door, he stopped and turned around with a cocky grin on his face.

“Lesi. Did you repair my drop-shield?”

She answered with a sharp glare and a pointing finger, before she answered with words.

“I was busy doing real work while you were going to the shops. Now do your thing and fly, meathead.”

Zamm sat down and fired up the engine, as his sister kept watch over it. Nothing went wrong. Everything operated as it should, and no nasty surprises left behind by anyone activated. The cavern’s airlock was opened on command, and the final test came as they flew away from the asteroid. No mounted guns opened fire on them, and no ships gave pursuit. Saketa hadn’t really expected any such thing, not with Zintu Rock’s ongoing crisis. But she had nevertheless been ready to Shift in the direction of any danger she sensed.

Relaxing felt good. And so did knowing that they were back on track.

It occurred to her to pay a visit to the cockpit. Lesi was busy, she still didn’t really know how to break the ice with the three girls, and so that left her with Zamm.

“How are you?” she asked, as she took a seat in the copilot’s chair.

“Not bleeding, nothing broken,” the Ranger said without looking away from his instruments. “I’d call that pretty good.”

He patted his chest. Or rather, his suit.

“Not as good as my official one, but then I only had bullets to worry about.”

“And your spirit?” she asked him pointedly. “That is a casualty that is often overlooked. I have extensive personal experience with the foolishness of that.”

Now he did look at her, and she watched the hint of playfulness drain out of him. When he looked back at his course, speed, engine heat and all that, he seemed downright sombre.

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” he told her. “This was all outside of my comfort zone. And I saw a lot of unarmed people get cut down. But I’ll stuff it in a little pocket, on the inside, and do the job. Until I get back home, and sit down in the muster hall. I’ll tell my story, and hear other ugly stories in turn. It’s what we do, like I told you.”

Satisfied, Saketa gave a little nod.

“Very well. But if there are things you are more comfortable saying to a near-stranger, then I am willing. Until we part.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” he told her. “Oh, and Saketa?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for looking after my sister.”

“It was my pleasure.”

They kept on going towards the next lane entrance.