Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
I’d never been on the docking bay of the Daskquah before.
The bay was vast, with its endless rows of cruisers and small crafts docked from larger ships.
But my hands didn’t shake as I passed vessel after vessel, the small pack of clothes slung over my shoulder bumping with each step I took.
I stared at Lyrace’s back, clad today in a beautiful set of midnight robes, as he guided me toward the cruiser that would take me up to the Kuxatana—Captain Ruciyah’s ship.
Seeing as I’d arrived on the Daskquah a standard cycle before with just the prison uniform on my back, it was Lunastra who’d given me the clothes stuffed into the dark gray rucksack, as well as the leggings and tunic, complete with the black cowl that cast my face into shadow.
I brought no jewelry, no perfumes, none of the strange luxuries pushed upon me in the time I’d been aboard.
My right forearm, however, burned. As soon as I’d agreed to Lunastra’s demand, one of the med bay healers had been called into the room carrying a needle so thick my stomach turned.
The tracker she’d implanted in my arm was a safety precaution, one designed to ensure that if Captain Ruciyah left me behind somewhere, Lunastra could come collect me.
Though I’d been healed, the spot burned each time my sleeve brushed it, even with the leather guards wrapped around my forearms.
“Here we are.” Lyrace clasped his hands behind his back and I was surprised to see they were shaking.
A jumper craft was nestled between two large cruisers, like a jagged piece of black ozindanu crystal.
The hatch opened for a short ramp to descend, some vapor blowing out to cool the engines.
A male stood at the top with light gray skin and deep red eyes, dressed in what appeared to be standard-issue black fatigues members of the Federation wore, though the starburst and circle symbol was suspiciously absent from the uniform.
“That Quinzyr male must have deep pockets to convince the mistress to keep you for an extended visit,” Lyrace said.
If Lunastra was asked, Captain Ruciyah had taken a liking to me and requested I be his live-in yeska for the next cycle. Nothing could have been further from the truth from the way he had spoken last night. Not that I wouldn’t bite off his gloved fingers if they got anywhere near me.
“This her?” the male grumbled, gesturing to me with a squat three-fingered hand.
Lyrace stiffened beside me, but I stepped forward without a word. Those dark red eyes flicked from my braided hair down to the tips of my black boots, the slits of his nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath.
“Yes, this is Juniper,” Lyrace answered stiffly. “Where is the Quinzyr?”
A shredded laugh rumbled through the air and the male stepped to the side to allow me to pass. “The captain has better things to do than collect space trash.”
Though Lyrace spluttered at my back, I didn’t mind the sentiment. Better to be space trash—it might be expendable but no one coveted it. And like it or not, the captain needed this space trash to achieve his goals.
I looked over my shoulder to give Lyrace a stiff nod of farewell before I followed the male.
The interior of the craft was simple, merely a jumper designed for short journeys.
Like the outside, it was all black metal with a wide cockpit and a few seats to strap into.
I’d worked on similar ships on Ebyd III, cleaning their coils and flushing their capacitors for jumps.
But somehow it was different knowing I would be going somewhere and wouldn’t be dragged back to my cell to hope today was the day we were fed.
“Don’t touch anything.” The male smacked a button on the control panel beside the ramp and stomped past me to the pilot seat.
He gestured to the chair beside him, which I took to mean Please, Juniper, have a seat.
I slid off the pack and sat, though it took me a moment to figure out the complicated safety straps before I hugged my belongings to my chest. The male clicked off the engine suspender, combustion roaring to life around us before the sound dampeners turned it into a quiet rumble.
He leaned forward, muttered something into the communicator jutting out from the control panel, and wrapped a hand around a small lever.
I fought the urge to fling my arms out as the jumper rose.
I took a deep breath, forcing my expression to relax even while my heartbeat thudded in my ears.
The flight was smooth through the small hatch into the airlock before the dark expanse of space bled out before us.
No stars, not like I’d seen them from my home planet twinkling in the sky. This was just endless black, a great yawning ocean of…nothing.
The male looked at me from the corner of his eye, running a hand over the top of his hairless head. “No questions?”
I stared at him for a moment and shook my head.
“Not one for chatter, huh?” The husk in his voice sounded almost amused this time. He typed something into a small pad before leaning back in his seat and steepling his fingers, waiting for me to answer. When I didn’t, he huffed a laugh. “I think we’ll get along just fine, girl.”
I only looked back toward the window, squinting to pick out the light of distant planets or the ship we might be flying toward. The male clicked a few buttons and a small holoscreen popped up between us, a planet with silvery clouds swirling across the surface turning slowly.
“Behind us is Quili. Class One fancy-pants shithole with its ‘clean water systems’ and ‘delicious culinary arts.’” He made air quotes around the last few words, as if a clean water system was overrated. “Next closest is Nycium, but that’s at least thirteen thousand klicks toward the next quadrant.”
The craft tilted and slowly a dark shape loomed at the side of the view screen. It was large, though probably not as big as the Daskquah. However, this ship appeared built for speed with its smooth lines and sharp angles.
“There she is.” The male all but beamed. “The Kuxatana.”
We dipped, approaching from below while a small hatch opened, though no discernable light spilled out. The male didn’t seem to mind my silence; in fact, the longer I spent not speaking the more comfortable he appeared, humming to himself as he maneuvered us into the airlock and landing bay.
“Stop,” he snapped, though not unkindly, when I reached for the buckles of my seat. “Always wait for the engines to disengage before you unstrap.”
I froze until the hum of the engines cut off and my ears rang in the silence.
When the male unhooked his belts, I did the same, waiting for him to stand before I followed and slung my pack over my shoulder.
But he stopped in front of the control panel, turning with a serious expression on his face, the slash of his mouth turned down at the corners.
“No one knows but me and Asher where you come from, you hear? I don’t expect anyone to find out, since you seem to keep to yourself, but it’s best if they believe we found you on some outpost. Captain’s been telling the crew he found you climbing one of the old Federation buildings on Wuaxia and convinced you to join the team. ”
I’d never heard of Wuaxia, though I didn’t plan on discussing much with the crew.
The male gave an approximation of a smile.
“You run into any issues, you come find me. Name’s Greabes.
Or you go to the captain, all right?” One more nod and he patted me on the shoulder.
“Good, then let’s release you to the draycans. ”