There were many places to hide on a ship this big. Storage rooms. Machinery ducts. The hold.

At first, Val had found an empty cabin within sight of Juden’s. There were no personal effects, so she considered staying there. But she wasn’t sure how long the trip would last or whether anyone would come in for some reason. It made her nervous to stay there too long. So she favored the darker, less used places.

Wanting to make sure she didn’t lose the dark-skinned man again, she shot a bug at him when he walked out of his cabin. Aimed for his shoes, where he would not feel the impact. It was small enough that no one could see it if they didn’t know to look for it. She had then retreated to a dark and smelly duct.

This was not how she had planned to spend her time waiting for Kaine.

She grimaced. Why would she wait for him? That was ridiculous. Though she had to admit the man had helped her and even saved her life. That made him a friend, didn’t it?

Val sighed as she crawled backward into the narrow space and closed the panel in front of her.

She had found the mess hall a couple of hours earlier and had sneaked into the empty kitchen to steal food. She had stashed it in a compartment in the wall next to her.

How long had they been traveling? Five hours, according to her wristpad, but it felt like much longer. It was unnerving not having anything else to do but wait. At least, on Starrider, she could keep herself busy at the dashboard. Here, she didn’t even have that.

She tried calling Nim a couple of times, but he didn’t answer. He must be out of range. She hoped he could still follow her signal.

While exploring the ship, she realized it was of Gnorlian design. Was Juden a Gnorlian? If so, why did Gnorlia want her Corvair?

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After another hour, her wristpad blinked red. Juden was moving. Had they landed? With a ship this size, she would not have felt anything.

Sliding out of her hiding place, she followed the coordinates on her wristpad’s screen.

She soon heard voices and approaching footsteps. Spotting a door nearby, she opened it and slipped in, closing it behind her. She pressed her ear against the surface, sounds coming to her muffled and covered by the beat of her heart.

“Who are you?” came a sharp voice from behind her.

She jumped and spun around.

A light came on and she saw a young man, a teenager, lying on the cot and leaning on an elbow as he stared at her.

“I... Uhm... I’m sorry for the intrusion. I didn’t realize someone was in here.”

She would have left, but she could still hear voices in the hall, coming closer.

The teenager frowned. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

Her back to the door, she tensed. What was she going to do? She couldn’t tell him the truth.

“I’m new on the crew,” she said, “and still a bit lost on the ship. It’s big. Apologies.”

The boy squinted at her. “Your name?”

“Diin.”

He sat up on his cot, his gaze never leaving her.

“So tell me something, Diin. Who are you running from?”

“What?”

He stood, crossed his arms, and jerked his chin toward the door.

“You could have walked out when you realized your mistake. You should have. Why are you still here?” When she said nothing, he smiled and walked toward her. “Alright. Let’s see who it is I hear talking out there.”

She stepped forward and placed a hand against his chest to stop him.

“Wait. I... I messed up. If they see me, they’ll know it was me, and I’ll get into trouble. Maybe lose my job. I can’t afford to lose my job. Please?” She made her voice sound as desperate as she could.

The boy’s eyes softened. “What did you do, Diin?”

She looked down in shame. “I broke one of the machines. In a duct nearby. They must have seen it.”

“Oh. Will we be stranded?” The teenager sounded hopeful.

Val looked at him with curiosity. “Do you want to be stranded?”

The boy had a mischievous grin. “With you, who wouldn’t?”

Despite his playful tone, she could sense there was something else behind the words.

“That’s sweet, but I sense you’re not happy about this journey?”

He shrugged and walked back to his cot.

“I have better things to do than follow my father on diplomatic missions.”

“What’s your name, boy?” she asked.

He sat on the edge of his bed and looked back at her.

“I’m Avran Nell, son of Tellus Nell, archmaster of the Outer Expanse.”

Only one of the most powerful men on Gnorlia.

What had she gotten herself into?