CHAPTER 001

ROLEC

I was a mess. A nervous, stumbling mess. I didn't want to accept that this was happening, but a part of me understood why it was. We weren't exactly friends. In fact, we were barely even colleagues. They had no reason to keep me around. But that knowledge did nothing to ease the panic bubbling in my chest.

They were driving me off the ship.

I knew it could've been worse. At least they were doing the civilized thing and hauling me to one of the escape pods.

"Hey! Come on!" I nearly fumbled my words but managed to only trip over my feet.

Arx was dragging me down the corridor, his grip a vise on my arm. Whether I bruised or not didn't seem like a concern. Behind me, Yudor marched in tense silence, one of her six spindly hands resting atop the blaster strapped to her hip.

Neither of them were human.

Arx was a stout, little thing, but impossibly strong. In the two months I'd eked out on their salvaging vessel, I had never once seen the man's face. He wore a mask and a heavily padded bodysuit at all times. I assumed that Arx and oxygen didn't get along, but had never worked up the nerve to actually ask. It felt like a subject that one didn't broach with a stranger; a little too personal and most definitely not my business.

Yudor, on the other hand, was less of a mystery. She was tall and rail-thin, her body covered by a black exoskeleton. When the light caught on her chitin, it shimmered like an oil slick. Looking at her face, it was much like the rest of her; covered in the same plating, though her mouth-bits and compound-eyes were notedly more vulnerable. She had mandibles and a single, large horn that rose from her forehead.

She didn't have lips or a tongue but still managed to chitter something. Were it not for the translator modded to the base of my skull, that's all it would have remained. The handy little device did its job, and the meaning instantly settled into my mind.

"Be happy we aren't launching you outta the airlock." Yudor's jaws twitched with her irritation.

"I'd be even happier if you'd just drop me off at the nearest depot." I tried my luck but already knew I wouldn't be getting my way. I could taste the bile in my throat, my stomach a tangle of anxious knots.

Arx didn't slow his stride, and I stumbled again.

Testing his grip, I gave a tug but there was no give. At times, I cursed being human. As a species, we were relatively weak. Others had armor plating or super strength. While I was squishy and got mystery bruises from banging into things just a little too hard. The only advantage we humans seemed to have was a head start in a galactic sense; we were one of the first in-galaxy to develop faster than light travel.

As a species, humans were considered highly intelligent, but as an individual, I felt like a fool most of the time.

Those thoughts quickly fled.

We turned and passed down another poorly-lit corridor. The entire ship was crafted from a dark metal that I didn't have a name for. What light there was seemed to be absorbed rather than reflected in spite of the high polish.

The nearer we got to the pod bay, the quicker my pulse raced. Fight or flight was bubbling just beneath the surface, but neither were reasonable options. I could only push the patience of my hosts so far.

Fighting ended with a hole blasted through my chest, while flight was a nonstarter. It wasn't as if I could hide on the ship. Even if I did break away from Arx's crushing grasp, the crew would find me within minutes. All it would take was a single scan of the ship's computer, and the system would give up the location of my life-sign.

Yudor hissed, bringing me back to my present reality. "No, you've got two options. Either get your ass in a pod or the airlock. Your choice, Rolec."

"Really?" I tried again, throwing a pleading glance over my shoulder. My voice was high, strangled. "But Enzen doesn't even know I'm here."

Yet.

Arx had finally grown tired of listening to my nonsense. "Shut your damn hole!" He barked through his mask. The sound was muffled as it passed the respirator. "Your ugly mug is plastered all over the bounty boards! Getting involved with you just puts a target on our backs!"

The accusation was like a slap across the face. It stung all the more because I knew it was true.

The Terran Federation managed most of the bounty listings within controlled space, but that wasn't the case in the outer sectors. Out here, on the fringes, it was a free-for-all. The backwater was the place to put out contracted hits or requests for illicit goods and services. Beyond the reach of the Federation, there were no limits and no regulations. The only constant was money greasing dirty palms. For the right price, nothing was off the table.

Still, the simple fact that Yudor had no interest in claiming the bounty spoke volumes. The price on my head was staggering. Which itself was a red flag; at least as far as Yudor seemed concerned. I wasn't some golden goose, I was a liability.

To top it off, contractors were almost always anonymous in the backwater. But the man hunting me had been bold enough to put his name right on the damn thing — Enzen, a notorious smuggling Lord.

A part of me wanted to believe it was in my favor; that the mere sight of Enzen's name would scare off any would-be hunters. The pessimist in me knew better, though. Enzen wasn't a stupid man and would never shoot himself in the foot.

The intent was clear. The ridiculous bounty, the public knowledge of exactly who was offering the reward; they were both a message to me.

Enzen wanted me to stew in the knowledge that he would find me.

With a heavy groan, a door ground open, and Arx threw me unceremoniously into the pod bay. I managed to catch myself before eating dirt, my hands lashing out to break the fall. It didn't stop the metal floor from biting into my palms. I sucked in an angry breath, but as soon as it was released, all the fight left me.

"Fine," I said, my voice tense. "I get it. I'm going."

Arx said nothing, but as I got back to my feet and dusted off my knees, Yudor loomed in the doorway behind him. "This isn't personal, kid. But I've gotta look out for me and my own."

"Yeah, yeah. I hear you." The implication was obvious. I wasn't one of her crew, nor had I ever been. I was just the extra hand they'd picked up along the way.

Honestly, I should have been grateful that she was even offering me a shuttle. They didn't have many to begin with, and here I was, taking one all for myself. It was hard to stay mad. I didn't blame them. Not really. They had treated me well enough, up to a point. Perhaps a bit roughly at times, but I'd been the first human they'd ever met in the flesh.

Most Earthlings stuck with the Federation or never traveled beyond our own star system. There were outliers, of course. But lone human travelers were almost unheard of in the backwater.

Which made my bounty even more dangerous. I stood out like a sore thumb.

"Well," I said, running a hand through my dark hair, "it's been fun, I guess. I'll call you?" My attempt at humor fell flat; neither Yudor nor Arx seemed to understand my coping mechanism.

Instead, Arx crossed his arms over his barrel-chest while Yudor straightened her back, giving me a stern look.

"You will not," she warned me.

I exhaled loudly, equal parts resignation and exaggeration. My hand fell away, and I turned toward the pods. Yudor didn't indicate which one she wanted me to take, so I gravitated to the pod nearest me.

Much like the salvage ship itself, the pod was an outdated heap. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen a modern vessel. It felt like years, but had likely only been months. Honestly, I had stopped keeping track.

My boots were heavy as I approached the entry hatch.

I hated this.

Parting with my old life had been deliberate, easy. While it hadn't always been a pleasure, there was a certain thrill that came with exploring the galaxy on my own. A freedom in taking my life into my own hands and doing as I pleased. It was just too bad that I'd gotten mixed up somewhere along the way. Sometimes, what seemed like an opportunity turned out to be a bad break. But when I reached the next port, I would find another ship and try again.

What else can I do?

There was now the distinct possibility that, the moment I docked, someone would recognize me. It might make finding a new ship impossible. Or worse yet, bring me face-to-face with a bounty hunter; someone willing to risk it all just for a chance at the absurd reward Enzen offered.

I was wanted alive, but that didn't bring comfort. Beaten within an inch of my life still counted as living.

Climbing aboard the shuttle, it softly came to life as the system detected my presence. Lights flashed on and the computer spoke in a gently feminine voice. "Welcome aboard."

"Thank you." It was pointless to thank the onboard computer, but I did it anyway.

In the next breath, I dropped into the seat nearest the pod's controls. There were four additional chairs behind me, two on either side. There was also a loft raised above a narrow corridor that led to the back of the shuttle. Dual ladders were the only means to reach the overhead bunks. A single glance told me that the shuttle was intended for no more than five occupants.

Beneath the twisting tension, I felt a creeping sense of guilt wash over me.

If the two remaining shuttles were of a similar make and model, it meant that Yudor and her crew were left with only ten beds for a group of roughly fifteen. If they ever had to use the escape pods, they were going to be packed together like sardines.

And here I was, alone with too much space.

Shifting forward in my seat, I spoke to the computer. "How far's the nearest depot? Is there a station or jump gate nearby?"

"According to recent logs, the nearest depot is Atmos Twelve, approximately 0.07 light-years from our current position."

I tried doing the math in my head. If we traveled at the speed of light, that would mean we'd be cruising along for a little less than a month. The thought was a miserable one.

"Alright. Set Atmos as our destination."

The computer chimed, confirming the command. "Please fasten your security belts for launch, Captain."

My nose wrinkled.

Captain?

"Just call me Rolec."

"Acknowledged. Please fasten your security belts for launch, Rolec."

I did as the computer instructed, crossing the belts over my chest and settling in for the ride. Fortunately, there wasn't much for me to do. Nearly everything concerning the shuttle was auto-piloted. Which was a stroke of luck; I didn't have a clue how to pilot a ship.

There was a sudden jolt, and I knew we were moving. In the near distance, I could hear a rising whine. The inner walls of the pod rattled and groaned, which in turn lanced a fresh spike of fear through my chest. My fingers dug into the armrests as I tried to take a calming breath.

It's okay, I told myself. And if it's not, well...

My wild imagination was more than happy to fill in the blanks.

The shuttle might spring a leak and lose all oxygen. Or an entire section of the hull could become compromised, and I'd be sucked into the void. In either scenario, I'd fall unconscious, but with the latter there was the added rush of knowing all the fluids in my body would boil in the low-pressure vacuum of space.

There was a silver lining, though.

I wouldn't have to worry about Enzen anymore.

To my shock, the morbid thought didn't calm my nerves.

For long minutes, I sat in uneasy silence. I tried to focus on my breathing and the quiet beeping of the shuttle's console. I wanted to tune out the low creaking I could hear beyond me. We just needed to get up to speed. The moment the main propulsion system went idle, the vibrations would stop shaking the hull.

After what felt like an eternity, the pod finally stabilized, and the rattling grew distant then silent.

"Speed of Light has been achieved. You may remove your security belts, Rolec."

I breathed a sigh of relief, wasting no time in pulling myself free. Once I had, I stood and sucked in a deep, reassuring breath. It helped, the shaking of my hands easing by a small margin.

"Hey, can you do a scan to see if there's any ships nearby?" An irrational part of me worried that a bounty hunter might, inexplicably, be in pursuit of my pod already. Although another part was simply curious to see if the scavenger vessel had at least waited until I was out of range before leaving me to my fate.

"There are currently no vessels within range."

"Huh..." I frowned, immediately tamping the disappointment down. "Well, I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me up if anything happens."

"Affirmative, Rolec."

I turned and climbed one of the ladders to the upper loft, getting my first real look of the bare-bones sleeping arrangement.

The space was large enough that I could sit up but not stand. To get between the beds, I had to crawl. Since I was the only living soul aboard, I had dibs on the best bunk, which I decided was the one furthest from the ladders. I didn't want to roll out of bed and break my neck on the fall.

Trying to get comfortable, I laid on my back. I threw an arm over my face, using the crook of my elbow to shield my eyes from the dimming lights.