A few days had passed since the captain had visited. Andrew was so bored he’d given many of the characters carved into the walls names and personalities.

  “ ‘No Drenand, you are the poopyface not I’ said Galliup the elf” Andrew said in sneering voice.

  “ ‘ Oh but you are and I’m here with my hammer of justice to prove it by smashing it!’ roared the captain.” Andrew said in a much deeper tone of voice.

  “Mr. Lather, you are being recorded.”

  “Thanks for the reminder I’m bored. I was hoping for a crew visit by now.”

  “The Crew will visit once their visits will not draw attention.”

  “Any idea on how long that will be?”

  “Mr. Lather, there has been a change in plans. Aminci is on his way now to move you. I suggest you do what he says.”

  No sooner than Doc had finished, Amin burst through the door gun in hand.

  “Follow me now, no funny business, if Doc detects magic I will end you.” Amin said with a sternness that made it feel like a king’s command.

  Without a word Andrew got to his feet and followed. They walked back the way he had previously been led, back towards the cargo room. Once there he saw Uhla standing just under the covered symbol. She had a panel of what he thought was the hull in her hand and there was an opening where he was sure there was not one just days before. As they approached, she indicated for him to go into the opening.

  “We’re sorry for this but we’re being boarded by Fouriers and if they found an undocumented human on our ship, they’d not only confiscate it. They would also take you for ‘testing’. So please don’t make trouble for us.

  We have given you back your food and water cubes, enough to sustain you. As well as a few extras as we suspect a few to fail due to the tech around them. There is a bed in there, “she motioned to a pad in the hovel, “as well as a tube to pee in and a vacuum tube to poop into.” She motioned to tubes on either side of the hovel.” You won’t be comfortable, we know, but better than the alternative. If we can find safe times to let you get out and walk around we will.“

  “If you make a sound and get us caught, once my family gets me free, I will find you and ensure that whatever they are doing to you will feel like a spa day comparing to what I do to you.” Amin said in the same stern voice. Uhla out of Amin’s vision rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by her husband’s behavior.

  “Thank you,” was all Andrew said before crawling into the small space.

  As dwarves secured the panel back in place, it felt as his coffin lid had just been put into place. To his relief, shortly after it was secured a light came on making it feel less like a tomb and more like an MRI machine. Andrew marveled at the space, as he would have sworn that this section of the hull would not have been thick enough to accommodate such a space.

  After a few hours the Captain's voice came out of a speaker he had not seen and was unfortunately behind him.

  “The Fourier envoy has settled in. We again apologize for the inconvenience. We don’t want him here anymore than you want to be in that hold. This was not part of the arrangement, but with the amount of money they offered we couldn’t say no. Why they want to be here, is a mystery though. I would have thought this being a smuggling job they would want to be as politically far from it as possible. “Came the captain’s voice in a whisper from an unknown speaker behind his back.

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  “Any clue how long I will be in this hole?”

  “It’s better that one, than the one the Fouriers would dump you in, but no I don’t have a good timeline. I can say it will be no more than 2weeks as that is how long it will take us to get to the Tribe run world of Arayopan III for refueling, but I hope to give you quite a few breaks before then.”

  “Two weeks?” despair clear in Andrew’s voice.

  “I don’t make the rules……..ok on this ship I do, but this goes a bit beyond my ship and so we have to play the game. I know you’re the one who pays the most, but if you’re found we all will. Your sacrifice won’t be forgotten.”

  “Is there any chance for some entertainment, like books or something?”

  After a lengthy pause, doc’s voice came back “The Captain was called away by the envoy. I'll find you something to do. I'd grant you access to the synths, but your implant won’t take micropulses, so I can’t link it to the Rynth.“

  “That’s your versions of movies and the internet correct?”

  “Correct.”

  “I’m curious, why is this ‘room’ exists”

  “I am not at liberty to discuss that.”

  “Fair enough”

  Andrew did his best to entertain himself but after a while boredom took him and shortly after sleep did as well.

  “Why do you want to go to the university son we have a damned good and burgeoning business here. You don’t need a degree for that.” His dad asked surprise and bewilderment clear on his face.

  “Damned good? Seriously Dad. Damned good? Our tractor is older than grandpa and we’re one good drought away from losing this place.”

  “We’re not that bad off, sure our tractor was my dad’s dad’s tractor but it is still great and all we need and we have 600 acres of prime hill country land. With that much land the possibilities are endless son.”

  “Dad I love you and I love your visions, but we need money to make those visions a reality. That’s why I want to go to college dad. I want to be able to earn the money to make those dreams come true. Plus, with Miguel back in the states you don’t really need me to keep the cattle going.”

  “Miguel’s awesome, but he’s not my son and he’s not blood.”

  “I get that dad, but these new implants are the future and I want to be part of that future. What Dr. Kata has come up with is nothing short of spectacular. Hell, even Musk speaks admiringly about the breakthrough even though he’s pissed it wasn’t his team who came up with it. Once I get on Dr. Kata’s radar you’ll see, great things will happen.”

  “But you’re going to Nelson University, not UT. No offense son, but what do you plan to do to get on his radar from Nelson?”

  “Whatever I have to and I’m not pretty good. I got a full ride, not because of my grades, but because of how good I am with technology and my ideas on how Kata’s might be improved upon……. and the fact that they were worried what I might do after I wrote them a paper demonstrating their many vulnerabilities in their admissions database. Showing them how I could have just accepted my application and given myself a hefty scholarship.”

  “But you didn’t son……did you?”

  “Don’t worry old man if there’s one thing you got through my skull it was how to have integrity. You can trust me on that because if I wanted to, I could have accepted my application to Tech, their systems were even worse.”

  “Didn’t I hear that idiot friend of yours Jeremy somehow got accepted to Tech?”

  Andrew looked at his feet, “Nah Dad I hadn’t heard that. Good for him though, must have gotten pretty lucky with his grades. I bet tech will do him wonders though.”

  “Surprised he didn’t follow that girl of his to Brownsville. Probably for the best though that girl is into every trouble she could find.” His dad said with a hint of knowing in his voice.

  “Not to mention any bed that she though might get her outta here. She even tried to come home with me a time or two. She might be sorta pretty, but I will never understand why he puts up with it.

  His dad looked at him, with a look he knew all too well. The one that he had when he’d found a mental string to pull on and unravel whatever mystery had caught his fancy.

  “I bet the girls at Tech will help him come around.”

  “That’s what I was hoping………..I mean when you told me about it that is.” Andrew said with a smile.

  “That’s what I thought you meant. I mean yall are good friends, but I didn’t think you’d risk a felony just to keep him away from her.”

  “Of course not, plus again why would I do that and then go to Nelson?”

  “I don’t know my guess is because Kelli is going there. I hope it lasts son, but I sure hope you didn’t throw away a better college just to chase her. Lord knows many relationships don’t make that transition well.”

  “While that was definitely a factor, it was their scholarship that got me to say yes. For such a small college they actually are somehow in the top 10 in the nation when it comes to Kata implants.”

  “Well I hope it works out. You know you always have a job here if it doesn’t work out. It’s going to be hard to replace you…………ok not that hard, but at least moderately difficult.” He said with a smile.