The cell door popped open. Rotek smiled.

  ***

  “This just might be crazy enough to work,” Gami commented as Cavalier’s docking arm moved into place, connecting with the hole that they had been trying to expand.

  “It’ll work. Let’s make sure that the seal is tight.”

  They inspected the edges, stuffing anything that they could find into any spot that looked like it might not be at one hundred percent.

  “Got another one covered,” Tarl reported, “The final hole will take another minute.”

  Tarl had cut plates off of some of the surrounding pieces of debris. They had welded these over the smaller holes.

  Eli instinctively looked at the indicator. Five minutes worth of oxygen remained.

  ***

  Rotek took a few moments to admire her captors’ armory. It was frustrating to see so many fun toys locked away in the cages. But it didn’t matter. Soon, she’d have plenty of time to open the locks.

  The pirate turned her attention to the tool cabinet. She selected a heavy wrench, tested its weight, found that it would be an effective bludgeon.

  ***

  “Okay,” one of Tarl’s bodies said over the com, “I’m gonna start pumping air in. Get close to the door. It will only be open for a few moments.”

  Eli looked at the indicator as he maneuvered toward the door. Only two minutes left. He had already deactivated the automatic warnings. It was a struggle to keep his breathing even.

  Gami floated up beside him. She settled into place. He could see her face under the spacesuit’s wide visor. Her eyes were closed. The serene expression gave him hope even as it stirred up a biting sense of jealousy.

  ***

  Rotek hummed a jaunty tune as she walked toward the bridge’s entrance. The heavy wrench rested on her shoulder. A sense of triumph overtook her as she opened the door.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  No one occupied the room. Where were they? The cockpit was in the forward position. This meant that the pilot was there and fully focused on their task. And yet, she could tell from looking out of the viewports that the ship was sitting still.

  Rotek walked across the room and pressed the button that retracted the cockpit section. She raised the wrench high, ready to strike.

  The little thing that sat in the seat looked back at her, shocked. It was so small, smaller even than the other little guys with the blue-grey fur. It must be a child. A child had taken control of the ship!

  Something struck her. The force of the blow knocked her off of her feet. She landed hard on the deck plates. Scrambling to get up, she swung the wrench around wildly. It connected with nothing. Managing to get back on her feet, she held the heavy tool in a defensive manner.

  The little being pressed a button on the armrest, rotating the chair around. He held a small holdout pistol in his tiny hand. It was still rather large compared to what held it. If he chose to fire, the recoil would be terrible. He’d only be able to manage one shot before she would be able to close the distance and take it from him. But one shot was all that he needed.

  “Hey there. I won’t hurt you. No reason to do anything silly,” she chanced a quick glance around, “Who else is in here?”

  She saw it just in time, some winged thing swooping down on her. A quick swing of the wrench knocked it out of the air. It let out a surprisingly intelligent cry of pain. This was immediately followed by the deafening sound of the gun going off.

  Loud pops and cracks as the bullet ricocheted around the bridge. Rotek darted to the chair, ripping the pistol out of the furry creature’s hand. Using her other hand, she picked him up and sat him on the floor beside the chair, which she settled down into.

  Rotek returned the holdout pistol to the holster that had been attached to the side of the control panels. Then she took hold of the yoke, grinning victoriously. This grin faded when the cold metal of a gun barrel was pressed against the back of her head.

  “Going somewhere?” Eli asked.

  “Just taking her out for a quick spin. She’s a nice ship.”

  “I’m glad that you like her. It makes sense. Afterall, this is the second time you’ve tried to take her from me.”

  “Let’s be honest, it probably won’t be the last.”

  ***

  One of Tarl’s butar shut the welder off. Gami tested the newly secured cell door. On the other side of the bars, Rotek made a show out of staring and smiling at them belligerently.

  “Guess she’s staying in there till we reach Pygram space,” Eli commented.

  “Not if she has anything to say about it,” Gami said flatly. She wasn’t wearing a helmet. It was strange to see the cold expression in her artificial eyes, and the little hints of fear that had crept in.

  “Don’t worry,” Tarl assured them, “We’re posting a guard.”

  As if on cue, one of his hakan flew up and landed in front of the cell.

  “Your little pet looks tasty,” Rotek purred.

  ***

  “How much longer till we reach Pygram space,” Gami asked as the trio entered the bridge.

  Tarl gave his answer, “We’re still a ways away. We’ll have to refuel soon. We only just got enough salvage back there to pay for it. What about that job?”

  Eli walked over to one of the consoles, “I’ll see about it right now.”

  The robed form of Chiron appeared on the console’s screen, “Eli, I was about to contact you. Head to Akanti. Your contact is a female being named Anara. She’s protecting someone. Your job is to get them to a safe haven.”

  Gami spoke, “Who’s after the principle?”

  “It’s all strictly confidential. I’d certainly treat them as a threat.”

  “We need to know why they are on the run, or it’s a no go. I won’t aid a fugitive unless I know that what they are accused of is either false or that there were no true victims.”

  There was no visible face that could show irritation, but the tadvash read it in his voice, “I can assure you, Miss Urush, the person that you are being hired to protect is very much innocent. I have recommended you to another broker as a favor. That broker is paying out of their own pocket. This is all above board, morally speaking. Legally speaking, you’ll be violating the laws of a planetary government.”

  “Sounds good!” Eli interjected, “Tell your associate that we’re in route,” he shutdown the transmission and turned to Tarl, “Set course for Akanti, full speed.”