Chapter 1: Acquisition



    
    There was a light rain falling at the Tuscon shipyard, and that intensified the heavy scents of corroded metal, and long idle dust all around.  The wind, though not very strong, howled as it pushed its way through the narrow gaps between many of the huge, closely parked hulks.  This was a graveyard, of sorts, where varying sizes of space-going cargo vessels went to die.  Long past their prime, they were once the titans of the New Space Race.  Replaced years go by faster, larger, more efficient vessels, these were grounded, waiting to be absorbed by the Earth.

    The old spaceships ranged from three to twenty stories tall, depending on their original purpose, and surrounded by then in a yard like that, they practically blotted out the sky.  They made it seem as if a person were in a large, dead city, with no lights or people.

    Abe Rhodes looked up at the grey sky, and rubbed his greying stubble.  It didn’t rain often in Tuscon these days, and it was hardly ever humid.  Maybe it was a bad omen.  He already felt wrong about this, but he was bored.  After working in commercial space cargo for years, the idea of sitting around in a house on Earth, it was like he was already dead, and was only waiting for nature to make it official.

    It didn’t help that while working, he was active.  He could get away with eating nearly anything, because he used up so much energy.  And he used to be able to sleep like a stone.  Now, though, he felt himself becoming pale, weak, and slowly gaining weight.  He never slept right anymore.  His black hair had rapidly started turning salt-and-pepper since his inactivity began.

    â€œSo…anything you like?”  the salesperson, Mike, tried to hurry Abe’s decision.  The lot gave him the creeps, especially when the weather was like this.  Mike was slim, polished with perfectly trimmed brown hair, a tan, and a nice suit, but a little worn and weary looking - like he’d been doing this used ship sales gig for far too long, but he knew nothing else.

    Just about when Abe was ready to answer ‘No’, and simply walk away from this imposing place, he saw it.  Nestled between two gigantic rusting water tankers, almost looking crushed by the two of them, was a small cargo carrier.  Built for speed - and most likely used by pirates - this one stood out because its hull was not rusted.  It looked like it had been cared well for before it arrived here.  Its shiny, platinum hull glinted, and it seemed to give off a light all its own on this cloudy day.

    â€œOh, that one,”  Mike sighed.  “Are you sure you don’t want something else?  That one came in as a repo, we haven’t had time to even clean it out yet.  It’s kind of small, it’ll be hard to make money with it.”

    â€œIt’ll fit on my farm,”  Abe pointed out.  “Won’t have to pay to store it.”

    The salesperson nodded, and led Abe back to the small trailer parked in the center of the yard - almost as rusted as the hulks stored there, but the only place with electricity.  It looked like a beacon.

    Once inside, Abe pulled a small tablet out of his coat and placed it on the table.

    â€œAre you sure this is okay with your wife?”  Mike asked.

    â€œIt’s my pension,”  Abe pointed out.  Then he decided to be more honest.  “No, it probably isn’t.  But…she also doesn’t know my pension isn’t enough to retire on.  I’m fifty-five years old, I was forced into retirement.  I didn’t get enough to live for forty more years.”

    â€œYeah,”  Mike sighed.  “I hear that a lot from retirees nowadays.  It’s gotten really bad since a lot of companies started reducing the retirement age, and limiting the pensions.”

    Mike spoke from experience.  He was due to retire in seven years himself, and he knew that he too didn’t have nearly enough to survive.  He would also need to find secondary employment after that.  

    â€œI’ll tell you what,”  Mike said, as he scribbled on a piece of paper.  “Don’t tell my asshole boss, but I’m going to give you a special deal on this ship.  He told me to get rid of the damned thing, that we couldn’t sell a tiny piece of shit like that.  I’d like to show him he was wrong.”

    Abe raised an eyebrow as he looked at the piece of paper shoved in front of him.

    â€œStill think you have to ask your wife first?”  Mike asked.

    Biting his lip, Abe lifted the piece of paper and stared at it.  It was way, way less than he ever expected to pay.  Still a large chunk of his savings, but this would leave quite a bit to live on for a while, and buy him some time for his new investment to become profitable.

    â€œYou’re not going to get in trouble for this, are you?”  Abe asked.  “You’re not going to call me frantically tomorrow and ask me to bring it back?”

    Mike laughed.  “No, the boss will be happy.  He’ll think I got rid of it.  And he’ll be even happier when he realizes I didn’t just send it to the recycler.”

    â€œAll right.”  Abe picked up the tablet and pressed his thumb into a round pad at one end of it.  He then passed it to Mike.  “Let’s do it.”



—-
    


    When Abe returned to visit his new purchase later in the day, he was ecstatic.  His wife, Alice, was less so.  She was sullen and angry, posed to be difficult to impress.  The only thing on her mind was that he just spent a sizable chunk of their retirement on a rust bucket that he wasn’t even sure was space-worthy.  She spent much of the trip up there in a long-distance taxi berating him for being so stupid and irresponsible.

    April was a few years younger than Abe, but not nearly as healthy or vibrant.  While he worked, she spent most of her time either at home, or working fairly cushy and non labor intensive clerical jobs.  So while his hands were rough and hard worked, hers were soft.  And her skin was pale, from years of exposure to indoor lighting.  Even her blue eyes were faint now, and her greying hair resisted the dyes she used to keep it brown.

    â€œClose your eyes,”  Abe urged playfully.

    â€œNo,”  Alice growled.  “I’m not in the mood for games.  Just show me the damn thing.  And if I don’t really love it, you’re giving it back.”

    Abe sighed.  He really loved Alice, but sometimes it took a lot of patience to deal with someone so impatient.  He married her for her stubbornness, but it started to wear on him the longer they were together.  Rather than futilely say anything in his defense, he lead her to the newly purchased used ship.

    At this point, he was extremely nervous, and he hoped it didn’t show.  He hadn’t been inside the spacecraft yet.  For all he knew, it could be nothing but an empty husk.  All at once he began to doubt the honesty of the salesperson named Mike, and his own judgement.  He started to feel like he just made the worst mistake in his life, and his wife would hate him for it.  And she would be right to.

    Bracing for the worst, Abe approached the ship.  It looked much larger close up, when standing face-to-face with its cargo door.  It was, after all, nearly three stories high by Earth standards.  It needed to be that large to house both a small crew and cargo, along with its engine and system components.

    He reached out with a forced steady hand, and pretended to be confident as he typed the code given to him on the dimly lit keypad next to the cargo door.

    For the very briefest time, maybe a quarter second, nothing happened.  It felt like an eternity.  It felt like his heart stopped, and he was sure that the nothing took forever, and that his wife would notice his internal moment of panic.

    But he realized the worry - at least the worry about the door not opening - was for nothing, as it clunked to life, and slowly began opening downward into a ramp.

    Inside, the ship had only dim emergency lighting on.  That amounted a ceiling mounted flashlight in a cavernous one and a half story cargo bay.  It was designed to be a cargo bay - there were panels covering the floors, walls, and ceiling.  They were made of a dusty looking dark red painted, and occasionally scratched, metal with keyed bolts holding them in place.  It had a very industrial feel to it. 

    Abe could practically feel the ice coming from Alice behind him.  He decided he may as well get the biggest disappointment over with, so he checked the wrinkled map he was holding and headed straight for the engine room.

    That was easy to get to, at least.  Straight to the back of the cargo bay, then up a metal staircase to a narrow high catwalk.  Then back toward the cargo door, and through a currently open heavy metal door, and up some stairs.  

    The engine room itself was extremely cramped.  It had a pair of magneto-drive engines, each one about the size of a small car back on Earth - which made the engine room about the size of a two-car garage.  It had the same steel panels as the cargo bay, and the same dim emergency lighting.  Some of the wall panels had been taken out and replaced with storage units.

    Abe breathed a huge sigh of relief when he realized that the ship actually still had its engines.  Most salvaged ships were stripped of their engines first.

    And his wife picked up on that immediately.  “At least it has an engine.”

    â€œYes,”  he agreed, feeling satisfied that impressed her, at least, but still nervous that she wandered the room, examining everything closely.

    â€œWhat’s this?”  she asked.

    It was those words that Abe dreaded most.  He braced himself to absorb whatever anger was about to be cast his way, and slowly shuffled toward Alice.  His pace quickened, however, when he saw the genuine look of confusion and concern in her eyes.  She had seen something perplexing, not irritating.

    Alice stepped aside just as Abe came close.  In front of them both was a tall, frosted glass tube about the size of a coffin.  There appeared to be something inside, but the glass was too blurry to see through clearly.

    Abe searched frantically for something to open the tube.  Right next to it, nestled inside the alcove which held the tube, was a dimly lit red button.  He slammed his palm against it hard, as if opening the tube depended on how much strength he used.

    There was a loud pop and thump simultaneously, and then a low hissing noise that diminished quickly.  As soon as it stopped, the outer half of the tube swung free.  Abe grabbed it and pulled it open.

    Inside was what appeared to be a young woman with dyed cyan hair and a fair complexion.  Because she was short, Abe guessed that she was very young.  She wore loose fitting white full-body coveralls and boots with what looked like some kind of corporate design or logo he didn’t recognize.

    â€œWe have to—“  Alice started saying shakily, already have been thinking about calling the Federal Police to report a dead body.

    But that was before the young woman’s eyes snapped open.  She looked at Abe first, and then at Alice, with a blank, emotionless gaze.

    â€œYou two do not belong here,”  she said plainly.  “This is not your ship.”

    Abe’s heart sank, and he started to believe he’d been scammed.  The laws of salvage stated that a ship had to be devoid of human presence to be salvaged and re-sold.  This young woman was obviously living, and would probably make a claim and take the ship from him.  He would be left with nothing of the money he spent on it.

    â€œI…I just bought it,”  Abe tried to explain.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was aboard.”

    â€œHe didn’t check before he bought it,”  Alice pointed out.

    Abe sighed at the obvious barb.  “I didn’t.  I’m really sorry.  Maybe you could talk to the salesman for me, and see if I can—“

    â€œNo need,”  the young woman said.  “I’m not human, I’m an android.  I have no right of possession.”

    â€œOh, good!”  Abe replied excitedly.  But then he immediately felt bad for the woman…android…whatever.  Because she was left there, alone.  She looked so human, it was easy to feel bad for her.  “Uh…maybe we could take you somewhere?  Do you have a home?”

    â€œNo,”  she replied plainly.  “I live here on this ship.  Since you purchased it, I suppose you’re my new owner.”

    Alice seemed to be warming up to the ship, and to the android.  Her frown disappeared, replaced with a look of curiosity.  “Do you have a name?”

    â€œNena,”  the android replied.  She spoke purposefully, yet quickly, like an English teacher who was pressed for time.

    â€œWhat did you do on this ship, Nena?”  Abe asked.

    â€œEngineer, and pilot,”  she replied almost playfully.  Finally, she started to show some more emotion, as she smiled slightly at being asked that question.

    â€œYou’re not exactly a common work robot, are you?”  Alice asked her, sounding a little suspicious.

    Alice’s question had solid grounds, too, because most work service robots were little more than metallic automatons with very basic artificial intelligence.  Consumer androids were extremely expensive, and still had rather wooden emotional response.  This one was very different.

    Abe took the hint, too.  He suddenly took Nena’s hand on his, and held it up.  “Your skin feels so real.  You’re even warm.”

    â€œPlease don’t touch me,”  Nena complained, pulling her hand back quickly.  She held her arm close to her body, and began to look a little distressed and worried.

    And she was self-protective, another attribute uncommon to consumer androids, or even service ones.  April thought to herself.  “Where did you come from?”

    â€œI was designed for the military, for infiltration.  That’s why I look and sound so much like humans.”

    â€œA spy, basically?”  Abe asked.

    Nena nodded once.  “And…I suppose…an expendable one.  No family to pay a pension to if I’m killed.  No need to rescue if I’m captured.”  

    During that last part, she sounded sad.

    â€œAlice, I know what you’re thinking,”  Abe said, after noticing a thoughtful look on his wife’s face.  “If she’s government made, they’re going to come looking for her.  That’s not the kind of trouble I want to be in.”

    â€œWell, what do you suggest?”  Alice asked.

    â€œHow much money do you think you’re worth, Nena?”  Abe asked.

    Alice gasped.  “Abe!”  
    
    â€œNothing,”  Nena answered plainly.  “No one in their right mind would pay good money to have the Federal Police after them.”

    Abe turned pale at first, but then he saw Alice was laughing.  

    â€œShe has a sense of humor,”  Alice said, still laughing.  “I like her.”

    Nena was grinning, satisfied with herself for that joke, and started to relax a little.

    â€œWell,”  Abe said with a clear of the throat, “I guess we can use a good pilot and engineer.  We can’t really afford to pay more than room and board, and a really small expense allowance.”

    The android nodded, and her grin disappeared.  “I will make you proud.  As long as you don’t abandon me in here in the salvage yard.”

    â€œGood.  Now get to work getting the engines and power on,”  Abe urged her.

    As he and April left the room, they could hear Nena walking quickly through the engine room, her feet tapping against the metal deck plates.  By the time they stepped into the cargo bay again, the florescent and LED lighting came alive throughout the ship, brightening it considerably.

    â€œHmm, looks like she’s worth the money already,”  Abe commented to no one in particular.

    April stopped him before they reached the stairway to the cargo bay ground floor.  She was close to tears.  “Someone left her here, Abe.  Alone!  What kind of horrible person does that?”
    
    â€œI don’t know,”  Abe whispered sadly.  “And I hope we never meet them.”

Chapter 2: First Flight

    


    As the engines spun up, an irregular pulsating hum vibrated the flight deck.  It felt unbalanced and a little scary, a pattern that telegraphed directly to the skeleton of a person that something was seriously wrong and dangerous about it.  Such were the thoughts passing through Abe’s mind just as Nena came almost flying around the corner, through the doorway, and onto the bridge.

    He began to notice about her that she moved around not simply like a much younger person would, but more like an athlete.  As if she were someone for whom gravity was just a slight annoyance, while for someone older like Abraham, it was more like a battle to exhaustion.

    But those thoughts turned back to the vibration from the deck again, and he thought he’d better ask about it.  “What’s going on with the vibration?  Is there something wrong?”

    Nena shook her head.  “This ship has twin Pulsewave engines.  They don’t go into sync until we’re in flight.”

    â€œOh.  Right.”  Abe replied, though really he had no idea what she was talking about.  As a commercial cargo pilot, he never really dealt with the engines - that was the engineer’s job.

    Further on that topic, while he had a passing familiarity with the ship’s flight controls, the rest of the flight deck was alien to him, being a far different model than he was used to.  Commercial ships usually had a standardized bridge setup.  This was something way different.

    There were four leather seats, the rear two of which were considered ‘deadhead’, which meant they served no purpose other than to accommodate two more people in there.  The front two were pilot and co-pilot, and surrounded by an array of suspended displays conveying the status of the engines, life support, and hull, weather, interior and exterior cameras, and fleet communication - the last of which was disabled, since the ship was not part of a shipping fleet.

    April strolled in and noted the two of them standing there, and the perplexed look on Abe’s face.  “That’s what we hired Nena for, remember?”  she pointed out, as if reading his very thoughts.

    Abe grunted and nodded, and glanced at Nena.

    The android slipped past them and slid into the right pilot seat like she belonged there, and nestled her hands and feet into the steering and acceleration controls.

    â€œWait!”  April called out suddenly.  “It just occurred to me, we never named this ship.  It’s bad luck not to give it a name.”

    â€œAbe’s Retirement,”  Abe piped up instantly, as if he’d thought about it extensively.

    â€œWe should name if after Nena,”  April suggested irritably.  “Since Abe’s Retirement bought her home out from under her.  It’s the least we can do.”

    â€œYou can’t just name a ship ‘Nena’,”  Abe protested.

    â€œWanderlust”,  Nena injected her own suggestion.  “It totally fits.  That is the reason Abe bought this ship, isn’t it?  He didn’t want to retire and sit at home?”

    Abe had a big grin on his face at that point, and he nodded.  “I like it.”

    â€œYeah, I guess it’s appropriate,”  April agreed.  “Wanderlust it is.”

    With the name agreed upon, Abe and April buckled themselves in to the two rear seats.

    There was barely a shudder as Nena pulled back the steering yoke, hovering the ship, and then with one smooth motion, raised the landing gear and accelerated forward at once.  The gentle take-off made it look like she’d done it many times before.

    â€œI really love her sense of humor,”  April reminded Abe, who grunted again in acknowledgement, and this time, partial agreement.

    â€œI think at this point,”  Nena interrupted the two of them, “A destination might be appropriate.”

    â€œOh,”  Abe whispered as he pondered that very question.  “Uh…I heard there are a lot of shipping yards on this asteroid on the dark side of Jupiter.  It’s the last stop before long hauls to the colonies.  Might be able to pick up some actual cargo there.”

    Nena nodded, and tapped on the autopilot screen.  As soon as it confirmed the destination and switched on, she let go of the controls and very abruptly turned her seat around to face the other two.  The two startled, as they didn’t know the seat even spun around.

    â€œYou both have been far nicer to me than the last owner of this ship,”  she said.

    â€œOh really?  Who used to own it?”  Abe asked.

    She shrugged.  “I never knew.  I assume they weren’t so nice because they kept me in that capsule.  I suppose I was to be sold on the black market.  Probably into slavery.”

    â€œDisgusting creeps,”  April grumbled as she squirmed in her seat.

    Abe started to ignore the conversation as it moved on to how Nena came to be in that capsule, because his wife’s comment struck a nerve.  Those ‘disgusting creeps’, as she put it, were still out there somewhere.  It was fine to insult them inside the safety of the ship going through space, but sooner or later he might run into them.  And they’ll recognize the ship they used to own, and Nena too, if they see her.

    â€œWhat’s on your mind, Abe?”  Nena asked suddenly, snapping him back to reality.

    â€œThey’re still out there, somewhere,”  he said.

    â€œWho is?”  April asked.

    Abe looked visibly annoyed, because the topic was fresh in his mind, but he hadn’t realized April and Nena moved on to another one.  “The previous owners.  They’re out there.  And they’ll recognize Nena, and this ship.”

     Nena smiled warmly, trying to calm his fears.  “I can fight.  I can protect this ship, and you.”

    The autopilot interrupted them with a friendly chime, warning them that they were approaching Cassini Station.  It still looked like a blip of light in space, that light being entirely artificial, coming from the station.  Jupiter loomed large behind them, but they were nowhere near it - the autopilot gave it a wide berth to avoid picking up too much gravity boosted speed.  They would do that later when they left the solar system and headed for the colonies.

    Cassini Station was built on the surface of a stationary asteroid to cut down on construction costs.  Rather than build a station out in space, which would require the materials be shipped out there at great expense, the company that built the station simply set up the equivalent of an asteroid concrete factory and made the materials on site.

    It led to the entire facility looking like a dark hulk, camouflaged against the asteroid itself.  Though it was not intentional, the effect was somewhat creepy.  Long, thick windows along the crew deck above the hangar, and the dusty white painted hangar door, made it look as if the station was devouring your ship as you entered.

    That didn’t seem to bother Nena as she piloted through the huge hangar door.  While the station was dwarfed by the asteroid at a distance, close up, everything looked much larger.  The hangar was made to take in up to small freighters - larger ones were required to remain off the surface and load cargo and passengers via shuttles or tugs.  Still, a small freighter was orders of magnitude larger than a small cargo ship.

    Just inside the door was another door.  Nena set down the ship between the two doors, and the outer door began to close as strobes flashed all around.  Finally, the inner door opened, and the strobes stopped.  There were new strobes flashing sequentially further inside the hangar, pointing into the space where the ship would end up.  But Nena didn’t fly it there, a conveyor began moving and carrying it toward its destination.

    Once they had finally stopped, all strobe activity ceased, and they were free to exit.  They could tell, because a small group of maintenance workers in dark blue coveralls ran up to the ship and began looking it over for damage, as they did when any ship landed.

    â€œNena, would it be okay if you stayed with the ship?”  Abe asked.  “If the people who took you before are there…I don’t want any trouble.”

    â€œNonsense, Abe,”  April stopped him.  “I’m sure she wants to see the station, too.”

    Abe started to protest, but couldn’t think of anything better to say on the subject than he just did.

    â€œYou go to the shipyard and see if there’s any cargo,”  April suggested.  “I’ll take her and see if I can find her something other than these coveralls.”

    Abe shrugged, and then nodded.  At least the vendors’ area on the station, though small, was secured by Federal Police.  Small reassurance, but better than nothing.

    As they all exited the ship, Abe closed and locked the cargo door, and watched April and Nena walk left toward the large opening leading to the vendors’ wing.  He headed right, between yet more ships, following a sign on the bulkhead above leading him to the shipyard.

    The shipyard itself was brightly lit, full of free-standing booths from shipping companies and those trying to sell ship repairs and hardware.  It was incredibly noisy there with all of the hardware work and talking going on.  Abe walked to the closest shipping company booth and greeted the two stubbled men inside the booth with a nod.

    â€œHey,”  he said, as loudly as he could manage, “I’m new to this place, any idea where I can get paying cargo?”

    One of the two men approached him, and with a heavy sigh, leaned on the counter.  “You know this is mostly a transfer station, right?  Not much paying cargo up for grabs here, because we’re so close to Earth.”

    The other man chimed in, “Try Abel Station, right near the Old Colony.  Lots of cargo just waiting for someone willing to move it.”

    Abe sighed sadly and mumbled a thanks as he turned and headed back, hoping he could come up with a suitably heartbreaking way of explaining to his wife that he completely wasted the trip.  He was so self-absorbed in that thought that he nearly didn’t hear the faint ‘excuse me’ and footsteps running after him.

    As he turned, he noticed a short young woman approaching him, wearing an oversized white cloak and hood that hung almost over her face, and dragged on the ground.  Really short, compared to him, in fact, the top of her head was barely above eye level for him.  Beneath the cloak she wore a form-fitting white and blue synthetic leather-like material and boots.  She had unnaturally bright blue eyes, and lightly tanned skin; and long, roughly cut hair that was multiple colors including white, which he chalked her entire look up to some kind of new fashion statement he didn’t understand.  She carried a bag with her, which looked huge compared to her small frame.

    â€œDid I hear you were going to Abel Station?”  she asked, and though she spoke loudly her voice was delicate enough that it was nearly drowned out.  She had a very slight accent, which made it sound like she learned English early in life, and had been using it regularly since, yet still a hint of something unplaceable.

    â€œI guess I am,”  Abe replied with a shrug, “I’m not really licensed for passenger transport, though.  Just cargo.”

    â€œOh, that’s okay,”  she said, “I’m going there to pick up cargo, I just don’t have anyone to transport it for me.  I can pay.”

    Abe nodded.  This time he knew better than to make a decision without April.  He was already down two strikes.  “Follow me, I’m headed to find my wife.  I’ll only do it if she agrees.  She is my business partner, after all.”

    â€œFair enough,”  the woman said with a smile.  “I’m Shen Rae, by the way.”

    He quickly offered her a handshake, and she did after some hesitation.  “I’m Abe Rhodes.  Unusual name you have there.”

    She laughed quietly.  “Not where I’m from.  Lead on.”

    â€œWhere are you from?”  he asked as he began walking alongside her.

    Shen Rae looked around her suspiciously.  “I’ll…tell you later.”

    Abe looked around, too, but didn’t see anything unusual.  Then it dawned on him…the quietness, the oversized cloak.  She didn’t want someone to spot her.

    â€œAre you in trouble with the law?”  he asked.

    â€œNot…exactly,”  she replied quickly.  “I’ll tell you later.  I promise.”

    He glanced around again, hoping to catch whatever was spooking her, but again he saw nothing.

    By that time they crossed into the shopping area, and almost on cue, April and Nena were headed toward them.  They carried a total of three shopping bags.  And Nena had a rather puzzled look, as she was fixated on Shen Rae.

    â€œI haven’t seen one of your kind close up before,”  Nena commented.  Then the android noticed the oversized cloak and lowered head, and she immediately fell quiet.

    Abe noticed that too, and began to feel like something was going on that he wasn’t privy to.  He would find out when they were aboard the ship.  But first he had to ask his wife whether they could take this Shen Rae along at all.

    â€œApril, this is Shen Rae.  She says she has cargo for us at Abel Station, and she’ll pay.”

    April turned to Shen Rae.  “Will you also pay us for bringing you there?”

    â€œI will.”  Shen Rae nodded, and dug beneath her robes to pull out five gold chips - they were used as currency among the colonial traders.  “This is all I have now, but I’ll get more out of my box on Abel Station.”

    Abe said nothing, and his eyes met April’s.  Five gold chips alone was a huge score for a first trip.  An easy one, at that.

    â€œLet’s get moving,”  April urged them, for the first time sounding truly enthusiastic.

    They headed out of the busy shopping area with a renewed sense of purpose, headed back to the Wanderlust.  As they went, though, Abe noticed that Shen Rae purposely placed herself just ahead of him and April, and behind Nena, who was leading the way.  She walked with her head down, like she was trying to avoid being recognized.  

    And once the cargo door of the ship opened with a clunk, Shen Rae headed up the ramp before it had even fully opened.

    â€œEager to get out of this place?”  Abe asked her as he boarded the ship.

    â€œOf course she is,”  Nena replied reflexively.  But then she suddenly clammed up again, and quickly walked past them all, toward the flight deck.

    Abe had enough by that point.  He headed straight up to the flight deck behind Nena, and noticed just how quickly she was pressing buttons - shut the door, start the engines, set the autopilot.  And she hadn’t even sat down yet.

    â€œWhat’s going on, Nena?”  he asked.  “Why is Shen Rae so skittish, and what do you know about it?”

    Nena flopped into the pilot’s seat, and looked a little distressed at the question.  “I will tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything to Shen Rae.”

    He nodded in silent agreement.

    â€œShen Rae is from the Outer Reach.  Those planets that are always warring with each other.  Her people were torn apart by the other warring factions who wanted to force them to choose a side.”

    â€œWhy would they do that?”  he asked.

    â€œBecause they’re immensely powerful.  You know who they are because of their traditional hair coloring and small stature.”

    â€œTraditional…?”  As soon as Abe started asking that question, he realized what Nena meant.  The multiple bright colors, including white, plus the rough cut style.

    â€œWhat do you mean by powerful?”  he asked.

    Nena shrugged.  “I don’t know.  That’s all the data I managed to get.  There are rumors about them being invincible or very strong, but nothing concrete.  There are discussions about them knowing how to manipulate their chi—“

    â€œDiscussions?  What discussions?”  Abe interrupted.  He looked around quickly, trying to figure out what she was listening to.

    â€œThe Galactic Internet,”  Nena explained.  “I’m always connected to it.”

    â€œGreat,”  Abe mumbled to himself.  “So she’s an alien.  I wonder if April knows?”

    â€œI’m an alien, to you.”  Shen Rae explained to April down the hall.  “I’m from a planet you’ve probably never heard of in the Outer Reach.”

    April had been showing Shen Rae to her room on board.  Except it hadn’t quite been cleaned in a long time, so she had to spend the time tidying and dusting before Shen Rae could stay there.  She dreaded checking out her and Abe’s own room after that.

    The room itself was different from the rest of the ship.  Instead of red painted metal wall panels, it had hyper-dense foam instead.  Solid, designed to seal in warmth and sound, their beige color looked much more friendly.  The furniture was a similar beige, including a one-person bed with white sheets nestled in an alcove - to prevent rolling out of the flight got rough.  Also included were a freestanding table, a nightstand, and a deep rounded chair.  A narrow closet was hidden behind a specially cut foam panel next to the bed.  Beside the door was a small metal basin with running water.  Just above the bed was a narrow rounded rectangular window sitting at an angle, so it had a view above and slightly to the side of the ship.

    â€œThe Outer Reach?”  April asked.  She saddened slightly at hearing that.  “I heard it’s been torn apart by violent wars.”

    Shen Rae nodded.  “We refused to pick sides, so we were hunted down.  The people like me have been scattered to the stars.  There are less than a dozen left.”

    â€œThat’s who you’re hiding from?  Why you were so skittish on the station?”

    Shen Rae lowered her head and nodded.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.  I was afraid you might turn me in to the Feds.  A lot of them are corrupt, and would send me back to face death.”

    April smiled welcomingly.  “Don’t worry, Abe and I won’t let that happen to you.  Enjoy your stay, get comfortable, I’ll go and see what Abe and Nena are up to on the bridge.”

    Shen Rae nodded, tossed her bag on the floor, and dropped into a deep chair - which looked even deeper with her in it.

    For one more second, April watched her, and then closed the door behind her before heading to the bridge.

    When she walked in through that door, she saw a very worried looking Nena holding up her hand to stop Abe from speaking over whatever she was listening to on the radio communication system.  April was just about to say something, but seeing what was going on, she decided to remain quiet instead.

    â€œThe Feds are ordering us to return to Cassini for inspection,”  Nena repeated from the broadcast.  “They say we might have a person of interest aboard.”

    Abe smirked as he thought of a perfect appropriate response.  “Tell them you’re just a hired pilot, and you’re not permitted to deviate from your assigned course.”

    Nena told them just that, but she was less than pleased with the response.  “I have good news and bad news.  The good news is they believed me.  The bad news is….”

    â€œThey’re going to meet us at Abel, aren’t they?”  Abe asked with a sigh.

    Nena nodded sadly.

    â€œWell…Shen Rae is small.  Maybe we can hide her somewhere aboard the ship.”

    â€œWouldn’t be wise.”  Nena shook her head.  “They use life sign scanners.”

    â€œOh.”  Abe sighed.  “What do you think we should do?”

    â€œI’ll take an unusual route,”  she said.  “That way they will check Abel station when they think we should have arrived, but we won’t be there yet.  They will believe they missed us.”