The air in maintenance shaft seven clung thick with the scent of heated metal and ozone. I stared up through the tube at the corroded ladder rungs disappearing into the dirty yellow light. My arms still ached from the earlier climb down to the node.

Status query? Cedar's voice came crisp through my new earpiece. Why are we not ascending?

"I'm trying to muster the stamina for four levels," I said, placing my hand on the first rung. The metal felt warm.

Fascinating. By the way, this new receiver you’ve been gifted is remarkably sensitive. I'm now detecting concerning noises from both internal void systems and external storm conditions. There is a reason for these tremors, and it is quite alarming.

"Let me guess: we're facing a voidmaw." I started climbing, forcing my tired muscles to cooperate.

A voidmaw? Oh dear, if this were a voidmaw, we'd already be scattered across three different wind levels. Those things don't politely announce themselves, they just appear and start eating. No, this is merely a cross-current situation. Tricky, yes, but perfectly manageable for someone with navigational skills.

The ladder quivered beneath me as another tremor passed through the shaft.

"And you do have those skills?" I snapped, shocking myself. I had never spoken to a functionary with such disrespect. But my body hurt, and I was too exhausted to maintain proper protocols.

Of course. It's what I was designed for. Though we should hurry. The sooner I can access navigation controls, the better for all of us.

“I am moving as fast as I can.”

Yes, dear human, and I am most grateful for your efforts.

Another violent shudder ran through the voidhold. The movement threw me against the side of the shaft, and I couldn't stop a small cry as my shoulder slammed into the wall.

Are you injured?

"No." I took a deep breath. “I’m fine.”

Oh yes, I can tell by your labored breathing just how fine you are.

I started moving again, climbing steadily upward, one rung at a time. My mind laid out the steps ahead: get to the bridge, install Cedar, stabilize the voidhold, find Larkin, go home.

The need to return to Voidhold Zero pulled at me, though I couldn't say why. I only knew that I could not stay in Voidhold Two. I did not belong there.

✾

Four levels up from the node, the shaft brought me to a small ledge that led to an opening leading into darkness, marked with symbols faded beyond recognition.

“I’m at level four,” I said. “Now what?”

Keep going. It will take you straight to the bridge.

I squeezed through the opening into a tight tunnel filled with bundled cables and conduits. After about ten minutes of twisting sideways and inching along, I reached another opening. This one led down into a cramped space behind a set of main control systems. Careful not to disturb any of the components, I lowered myself into position, crouching behind the consoles, hidden in a maintenance crawlspace.

Through the ventilation grating, I could see into a room that bore little resemblance to our wardroom on Zero. Banks of screens lined the walls, their displays flickering with streams of amber and red. The sharp scent of burning electronics filled the air. People were arguing in loud, sharp voices.

"The streams are too strong," said a male voice. "We can't compensate fast enough."

"Then try harder," snapped someone else, a woman perhaps. “How many ballast pods did you throw out?

“Three.”

“That’s not enough.”

“That’s all we have left! We can't keep ejecting mass to stabilize ourselves!”

“We’ll pick them up later.”

“What are you talking about? We have no idea where they fall, they are lost to us!”

I strained and caught a glimpse of the humans. An older woman and a younger man, wearing unwashed work uniforms.

“Where do I need to put you?” I whispered to Cedar.

To your left you will see three access panels to the primary interface. The closest one should be directly beneath the main navigation console. You'll need to remove the cover and hook me up to the navigational matrix.

I studied the panel. It was barely an arm's length from where the humans stood, arguing over their controls. Even in their panic, they would surely notice someone crawling around at their feet.

"Can we wait until they leave?"

Leave? They can’t leave. This voidhold can’t fly itself anymore. There has to be someone here at all times. Look, if one of them notices you, just try to look normal.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“I am normal. Hiding behind the controls is not.”

From somewhere below us, the voidhold made an ominous sound. There was a panicked yelp and the stumble of feet as the humans scrambled to adjust controls.

"No!" A fist slammed onto a console. “The air anchors are breaking free.”

I took a deep breath, then crept to the closest access panel, my heart hammering so loud I was sure it was being broadcast across the bridge. The panel had a recessed handle. My fingers found the catch, and the panel slid open with a gentle hiss. Inside was a nest of interfaces.

“I’m in,” I whispered.

Do you see any sockets?

“Yes. One."

Slide me in.

I reached into my pocket for the delicate mesh that held Cedar's module, careful not to disturb the intricate web of connections Aster had woven. The framework gleamed faintly in the consoles’ muted lights as I lined it up with trembling fingers. The socket was just visible, and I eased the module forward until it clicked into place with a soft snap.

“Cedar? Did it work?"

Navigation systems detected. Aligning. Hull sensors. Pressure gradients. Collector harmonics. Initiating hull integrity assessment. Primary sensor arrays online. Void stream analysis commencing.

There was a pause.

Oh! The void streams! I can feel them! I can navigate! I can DO something!

“You sound happy,” I said softly, surprised by the warmth in its voice.

There's a beautiful festoon building up ahead, I wish you could see it.

I smiled despite everything. "Maybe one day."

Right, let me get down to work. I am initiating an emergency stabilzation protocol. Adjusting trim, compensating for mass loss, realigning with the primary stream…this may get bumpy, I need to tilt us.

The displays flared. All around me, the voidhold roared to life, and I felt the subtle shift in gravity as we began to turn.

Flying!

"What is it?" the woman on the bridge demanded. "What is happening?"

Hull integrity stabilizing. Void stream pressure normalizing. We will achieve standard operations in approximately four minutes. Thank you for your patience.

"The power reroute is working!" said the man.

"See? I told you dropping those ballast pods would help!"

"We’re levelling out! We did it!" The relief was clear in the operator’s voice.

Yes, your randomly pushing buttons clearly caused my careful void stream calculations to work.

"Finally," the woman said. "That last convergence nearly ripped us apart."

I pressed deeper into the maintenance space, trying to stay motionless in my cramped position while Cedar worked through the systems. Through the vent I caught glimpses of the operators as they ran through their system checks.

After several minutes, the young man stood and stretched. "I can’t believe it, we’re stable.”

“Who knows for how long, though,” said the woman. “Maybe you should take a chance to change the relay that burnt out during last week's surge. We can't afford to lose any more monitoring capability."

“Good idea,” said the man.

I watched through the grating as he knelt and removed an access panel barely an arm's length from my position. The acrid smell of burnt electronics drifted through the space.

"Looks worse than I thought," he said, reaching in with a diagnostic tool. "The surge must have travelled up through the secondary circuits." He began tracing cables, following their path deeper into the maintenance space.

Toward me.

You’ve suddenly gone very quiet. Are you admiring my brilliant skills?

The young man's hand was now inches from my leg as he followed a bundle of wires.

"That's strange," he murmured. "It looks like..." His fingers brushed against my foot.

He froze. Then slowly, he lifted his head and met my eyes through the grating.

"Hey!" he shouted, jerking backward. "Someone's in here, right behind the navigation controls!"

There was nowhere for me to go in the confined space.

"Get them out of there!" the woman ordered. "Now!"

Hands grabbed my ankles and dragged me from my hiding place. I emerged into the harsh bridge lighting.

What’s happening? Shade? I can hear...wait, let me access the bridge’s visual sensors...blast, they've destroyed most of them.

"She’s been hiding there this whole time,” cried the man. “Right in the maintenance space!"

The woman's expression shifted from shock to fury. "So that's why we've been having problems." She grabbed my arm roughly. "You've been sabotaging us."

"Look at this," the young operator had returned to his console. "The navigation matrix shows recent access. She's been interfering with our systems!"

Actually, that was me implementing proper void stream protocols.

"You’re the infiltrator from Zero, with that dace, aren’t you?" The woman's grip tightened. "First Lidaros, now this. What are you trying to do to us?"

"Nothing, I’m not trying to do anything," I said. “See, the voidhold is stable now.”

"Stable?" She gave a harsh laugh. "After you nearly tore us apart? Those tremors could have killed everyone on board." She turned to the young man. "Get security up here. Now."

Let me talk to them, I think once I explain the situation, they will—

"No," I said sharply, silencing both the humans and the navigator.

The woman's eyes narrowed at my outburst. "No? You've lost the right to refuse anything. Once the council hears about this..." She smiled coldly. "Well, let's just say we take attempted mass murder very seriously here on Two."

"Mass murder?" I stared at her in disbelief. "No—"

"Save it for the council." She looked past me as heavy footsteps approached. "Ah, security's here."

I need to tell them what's really happening. This is absurd. I can prove—

"No," I whispered again. If they discovered Cedar had been integrated into their systems without permission, they'd tear it out immediately. The voidhold would be left without proper navigation, drifting back into danger.

Two burly men burst onto the bridge, their faces grim.

"Is this her?" one asked. "The Zero infiltrator?"

"We found her sabotaging our navigation systems," the woman said. "Right after we nearly lost structural integrity."

The young operator looked up from his console. "The access logs show multiple system infiltrations. She's been in deep. Navigation, void stream monitoring, controls..."

Oh, come on. Those were necessary adjustments to keep you from drifting into a convergence stream. A 'thank you' would be nice.

"Take her to the brig," the woman ordered. "And notify Lidaros. He'll want to get to the bottom of this."

At the mention of Lidaros, my mouth went dry. The memory of his quarters, the gleaming trophies of broken functionaries, and the cold grip of his fingers on my face all came rushing back. The security officers took hold of me, one on each side. The one on my right twisted my arm up behind my back, then shoved me forward. The motion sent pain shooting through my shoulder, already bruised from the maintenance shaft.

Shade, I can create a diversion to help you escape. Maybe overload some non-critical systems, make a few sparks fly...

"No," I whispered. A glance back at the bridge showed the young operator still checking systems, his relief evident as each diagnostic came back all clear. If Cedar caused chaos now, they'd tear apart the controls looking for sabotage.

“Uh, yeah,” said the man on the left. “You are coming with us, the council will want to speak with you.”

The last thing I heard before the bridge doors sealed was the young operator's voice: "All systems showing green. We're fully stabilized."

"See?" the woman said. "Look how everything works properly once we stopped her interference.”