His personal interface vibrated on his wrist. The camera had captured movement. Dan activated the image and saw that the bounty hunter had disembarked from his ship, likely on his way to handle the bureaucracy with a port security officer. Dan had been waiting in the mess hall of the Scottish Marauder. Then, he hurriedly made his way to the bounty hunter’s skiff on the pier. The hatch was sealed and locked. He cautiously prodded at the controls, mindful not to raise any alarms or let the bounty hunter become aware of his presence. Glancing out the side window of the connecting corridor, he observed that the ship was indeed quite small.

“Here goes nothing…” he muttered, pounding three times on the metal door, the sound resonating through the metallic surface. He paused for a moment and repeated the three strikes with his fist. Then, he stood in silence, holding his breath. He even closed his eyes and pressed his ear against the cold surface of the hatch. Shortly after, he heard three distinct bangs originating from somewhere beyond the hatch. And then, two more bangs. It was here. Gee was inside and conscious. She now knew that he was aware of her situation and actively working to free her.

Opening the hatch without breaking the ship’s seal seemed impossible, and that could spell doom for Gee. He had to figure out a way to extricate her without resorting to breaking into the ship.

He had to leave before the bounty hunter returned and discovered him there. The longer the bounty hunter believed Gee was alone, the easier it would be to track him. Dan walked away, returning to the Scottish Marauder. He powered up all systems and contacted the control tower for departure.

Before long, he hovered a few kilometers above the port city, patiently waiting for the small skiff to depart with its partner. While he waited, Dan worked on hacking his way into the computer systems of the bounty hunter's skiff. It was relatively easy. The AI model in his ship was old and wasn't updated with the latests security patches.

"Amateur," he said out loud chuckling. It was Gee's luck to be found by this particular individual. Some other would have probably been smarter and more capable.

As soon as he returned to the skiff and started up the engines, Dan was aware and when he set up their destiny, he did the same, only giving some space between them, no to be too obvious. The skiff was too small to do the full trip on a single fuel tank, so it would need several stops on its way. The first was in Jupiter's moon Europa.

***

Gee's eyes had closed, not out of tiredness, but out of sheer boredom. Horst continued his endless work on the documentation. Eventually, he left the ship, leaving only the emergency lights on. However, something startled Gee—someone was banging on the outer hatch.

"Thank God..." she gasped. It had to be Dan. She had been afraid that he might have lost track of time in the city's casinos. But he had found her. Gee banged on the metal floor panels in response, letting him know that she was okay and aware of his presence. The question was how he would manage to free her. Simply breaking the hatch was not an option, as the moon's atmosphere was poisonous, and she would suffocate.

After some time, Horst returned silently and activated all the ship's systems, taking off without a word. The skiff utilized rotary thrusters, launching straight up before angling the ship to create artificial gravity. Though not as powerful as the Scottish Marauder, it provided enough stability for Gee in her cell, preventing her from floating around.

A few hours after takeoff, Horst approached the cell gate and handed a cup of water with a straw through the bars, saying, "Here, water." Although Gee had been thirsty, she hadn't mentioned it due to her pride. However, knowing there was water available, she couldn't resist the urge. Struggling against the plastic straps that bound her wrists to the wall, she stood up and gulped down as much water as she could, feeling its slow and painful descent.

The bounty hunter then returned to the pilot's seat, strapping himself down. Gee attempted to doze off but found herself extremely uncomfortable, her hunger causing her stomach to growl. She spoke out loud, "I'm hungry," making sure Horst could hear her from the front of the ship. He turned his head, looking back briefly, and replied, "Not yet," before returning to his tasks.

Finally, she managed to fall asleep but woke up with a terrible pain in her neck. Her head had slumped to one side during her short nap. The scent of heated meat roused her senses, and she noticed Horst eating at the table where he had been working on the extradition documentation back on Titan. He quickly forked food from a metal tray into his mouth, chewing with gusto.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

She stretched her neck from side to side and asked with a dry mouth, "Is it good?" The bounty hunter glanced to the side, chewing with his mouth open. From that angle, his artificially square head seemed odd. He returned his focus to his meal, ignoring her question.

***

Gee found herself in a dimly lit room, enclosed by walls. Directly in front of her stood a metal door, lacking a handle. The sound of her breathing reverberated against the empty concrete surroundings. A small rectangular window, situated near the ceiling on the wall behind her, allowed a modest amount of light to filter in, although it was too small for her to escape through.

As she observed herself, Gee realized she possessed a petite frame, indicating her young age. Memories flooded her mind, reminding her that she was merely ten years old and back at the orphanage. She had landed in this predicament after playing a prank on one of the orphanage supervisors, who punished her by confining her to this dark room. She couldn't determine the duration of her stay, but it had surely been at least a full day, as she had witnessed the light fade away and now watched it gradually seep back in through the small window.

Gee longed to share her experience with Dan, but she halted that thought when she realized they hadn't yet crossed paths. Dan would arrive at the orphanage several years later. Meanwhile, the faint sounds of insects scurrying across the floor reached her ears. Their presence didn't faze her; after all, insects held no fear for the ten-year-old. In fact, she often enjoyed searching for worms in the garden or capturing spiders to keep in glass jars. She was a rebellious, tomboyish, and spirited girl who seemed to attract punishment, according to the supervisors. However, Gee didn't seek out trouble deliberately, despite what the supervisors assumed. Nonetheless, punishment found her regardless of her intentions.

"Ah, shit!" a male voice shattered her thoughts, interrupting her. She questioned its origin, as she believed she was alone in the dark room. However, she quickly reminded herself that she wasn't actually in the room, nor was she ten years old. It was just a dream.

"My fucking luck!" Horst exclaimed from the pilot's seat. Gee opened her eyes and found herself in a well-illuminated space, in stark contrast to her dream. Nonetheless, her wrists remained bound behind her back, tied to the wall. She blinked, attempting to clear her vision and comprehend the situation. Horst was engrossed in a console that was partially obscured by his body.

"What's the matter?" she inquired. "I was dreaming of a Caribbean beach, and you woke me up."

He turned his head, casting her a deep frown. "Pirates," he replied curtly, then returned his focus to the console.

That was bad news. Pirates seldom took prisoners and often eliminated witnesses.

"Are they trying to contact you?" she asked.

"No. I received a distress call from a transport ship ahead of us in the shipping lane," he explained. According to International Space Law, any vessel aware of such a situation was obligated to report it immediately to the authorities. However, that would involve an active radio transmission, which could be intercepted and traced back to them by the pirates.

"Will you send a message?" she inquired further.

He swiveled his seat, now facing her, and glared at her momentarily. "I have nothing valuable on this ship. They might leave us alone," he replied.

"Don't be dumb," she retorted. "They could just as easily kill us."

Horst turned back to the ship's controls and powered down the engines. Suddenly, the minimal gravity they had vanished, and Gee experienced the disorienting sensation of free fall. She despised it. In her younger years, she had once ridden a roller coaster and loathed the experience so much that she swore never to repeat it. Until her body adjusted to the sensation, it felt like hurtling into an abyss at high speed. The best strategy was to open one's eyes, allowing the brain to make the necessary connections and adapt to the new circumstances. Gee followed this approach, fixating her gaze on the metal floor, which now lay a few inches below her feet. Nevertheless, it served as a stable reference point to focus on.

"We'll wait with the engines off until it's all over," Horst whispered softly, his tone almost tinged with embarrassment. With the engines deactivated, their ship emitted no signals, rendering them practically invisible in the vast darkness of space.

"Hey, don't feel ashamed. I would have done the same," she sincerely reassured him.

Several hours later, the ship's sensors detected the pirate vessel departing, leaving behind a lifeless husk adrift in space. Horst powered up the fusion engine, restoring artificial gravity, and resumed their journey to Europa.

As they continued their journey, Horst rose from the pilot's seat and made his way to the cell door. He peered down at Gee with a neutral expression. "It's time for you to eat," he stated, his gaze fixed on her. "I'll release you from the wall so you can eat on your own." Raising his index finger, he warned, "But if you cause any trouble, you'll go without food for the rest of the trip."

Gee nodded earnestly. Horst was far bigger and stronger than her, so attempting to escape would require a different approach. For now, she resolved not to create any problems.

He opened the gate and entered the cell, holding a knife in his hand. First, he freed her left wrist. "Now, bring your wrists together in front of you," he commanded. Gee, her body stiff from hours of sitting, turned and awkwardly joined her wrists. The bounty hunter secured them with a new plastic tie. Finally, he cut the tie that had kept her tethered to the wall. Now she had the freedom to move within the cell. Horst retreated, never turning his back to her, and closed the cell gate, securing it with a lock. A few minutes later, Gee eagerly devoured the hot meal prepared for her by Horst.