“Secrets aren’t my strong suit,” Shae says, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

I cast a glance in her direction. I’m not sure I buy that. After all, she seemed to be keeping her little friend here something of a secret.

It’s as if she reads my mind.

“Don’t give me that look,” she protests, looking back at C-CIL before continuing. “What I mean is, I don’t like feeling like I’m lying to people who don’t deserve to be lied to.”

I nod. That’s more believable. I can’t say I blame her, but she’s going to have to figure out a way to deal with it.

She’s overcome the initial shock of finding out that we’re about to pay a surprise visit to the Chrysanthemum, but she still has her reservations.

She looks out the side of the ship and sighs.

“I think I’ll be better off just keeping my mouth shut the whole time,” she mutters. She looks back over at me, waiting for a reply. I can tell my silence is starting to bother her, but I’ve never been good and small talk, and besides, I’ve got other things on my mind. Like how I’m going to convince a certain captain to let a bunch of strangers onto her ship.

“Why do we have to be so secretive anyway?” Shae asks, suddenly breaking the silence.

I shrug.

“I gave my word, and I intend to keep it,” I say matter-of-factly.

Shae nods, but she’s not satisfied by my answer.

“But I mean, don’t you think it would be better to explain the situation to her? To tell her you talked to the crew of Lotus? Wouldn’t that make her more likely to let us on board?”

I think for a moment. It does seem like that would be the most logical way to proceed, the easiest way to gain her trust. But I know full well there are plenty of things to which I’m not privy. Ramy was very tight-lipped about where they were going and what they were doing. What the phrase he used? A “tricky situation”?

When he asked me not to mention it to Jahdra, I’d gotten the impression that it was a matter of pride, that she wouldn’t like the idea of being checked up on. But maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe they had reasons to keep her in the dark about their whereabouts. I can’t presume the “why” of it now. All I can do is uphold my promise, to make sure she’s okay and to keep quiet about the rest.

“I’m not gonna pretend to understand,” I reply at last. “But if it weren’t for Ramy, I’d probably still be out there in Epsilon space somewhere. Who knows if anyone ever would’ve found me, and if they had, if they would’ve bothered to stop and get me back on my feet.”

Who knows if anyone else would’ve bothered to wake me up, bring me back online, especially considering the shape I was in.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Those people rescued me, my ship,” I say seriously, looking at Shae. “I trust them. Don’t you?”

Shae looks down.

“Yeah,” she murmurs. “Yeah, you’re right. I do trust them. And Jahdra, I guess, by extension.”

The name sends a kind of shiver of anticipation through me.

“You sure she won’t recognize you?” I ask.

Shae shakes her head.

“I’ve never met her. I guess it’s possible she could’ve heard my name before, but even that seems unlikely,” she says.

Shae squirms in her seat, trying to get comfortable. I’m tempted to ask her more about how she knows Ramy, but that will have to wait. For now, my focus is on Chrysanthemum. We’re coming up on comms range, and if all goes to plan, it won’t be long before we’re on board.

I glance back at C-CIL, who’s sitting quietly toward the rear of the ship, and then Shae.

Here goes nothing, I think to myself as I send out a hail.

“MASSA-50, do you read us?” I’m careful to avoid using the name Chrysanthemum so as not to rouse suspicion. People tend to get cagey when you know who they are without them knowing you. Not everyone reacts like Shae to that sort of thing.

“Yeah, I read you,” a voice replies a moment later. “What do you want?” she growls, sounding annoyed at best.

“We are experiencing engine trouble,” I answer. It’s a convenient truth that I’ve ensured the validity of by neglecting to tend to my engines after the beating they took on the way to Olympia. “Requesting permission to dock with your vessel,” I say.

There’s no reply. Shae and I exchange a look.

“MASSA-50, do you copy?” I try again.

“Yeah, I copy,” the irritable voice comes again. “What’s your status?”

“Engine functionality is below 25%,” I answer. 23% to be exact.

“Where you headed?” demands the voice.

I try not to take too long to respond.

“Alpha 2,” I say. I don’t know what makes me say it, apart from the fact that it seems like the most likely direction she’d be heading. Maybe a part of me assumes she’s heading to Meridian. “Mox said you were heading that way and might be able to help us out.” That bit is a lie, but I’m hoping she won’t see through it.

“I might be able to get you partway there,” comes the reluctant reply. “How many in your crew?”

“Three,” I answer.

I hold my breath and wait for a reply.

“We’ll make it worth your while,” I blurt out in desperation.

“Alright, go ahead,” comes the answer at last. She doesn’t sound thrilled about it, but at least she’s agreed.

“That didn’t seem so hard,” Shae says, raising her eyebrows and letting a smile replace her worried expression.

I smile back at her.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. If the rest of her crew was willing to go out of their way to help someone in distress, why should Jahdra be any different?

As we get closer to Chrysanthemum, my heart begins to beat faster and faster. I feel nervous, excited, overwhelmed. I can’t explain it, but it’s almost like the trajectory of my life is about to change.

I send out another hail, this time to initiate docking procedures, and I’m answered by the ship’s computer. Chrys, she calls herself. Chrys is must easier to talk to, and much more ready to welcome us on board, it seems.

I look around at Shae and C-CIL as we make our final approach to the much larger ship.

“Remember,” I say, “we’re here because our engines are failing. And if you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself.”

I know neither of them will take me up on the offer, but I hope it makes Shae feel like she’s being a little less dishonest at least. Yeah, yeah, her face says, while C-CIL’s face, on the other hand, says that he has no idea what’s going on—he’s just glad to be along for the ride.

After confirming the ship’s dimensions, Chrys agrees to let us dock inside the bay of Chrysanthemum. Better to stay out of sight, I think to myself almost instinctively. But besides keeping a low profile, which may or may not actually be necessary, this will allow me better access to Remus than if we were docked outside.

I hear Shae let out a deep exhale as I kill the engine and wait for the bay to pressurize.

”Ready?” I ask, looking over at her.

She nods.

Good. No turning back now.