into a herd of unruly settlers from a large intra-galaxy transporter. EJ debated sneaking onto it, but the same issue remained: where the hell was it going? Was she going to end up somewhere even worse? She gnawed the inside of her cheek and scanned the other ships in the docks that were loading cargo and would afford her an opportunity to stow away.
The crowds thinned and some of the crew from the Hollbrd returned with massive hover dollies and crates of supplies, all headed right for her. EJ sucked in a breath and searched for somewhere to hide. Just because she thought the crew wouldn’t recognize her didn’t mean they for sure wouldn’t, and the last thing she wanted to do was risk a chase and inevitable recapture.
She needed a ship. Any ship. And fast.
Only one was close enough with the cargo bay open, though it was smaller than she would have liked. The Sraibur was a sleek high-tech ship that looked like she was trouble from the moment she was put into service, which meant they traveled fast and light. Minimal crew, reasonable number of hiding places, but fewer people to blend in with when she needed to get food and drink.
Someone shouted behind her and she dared a look back. The security officers had descended the Hollbrd’s ramp to talk with the rest of the crew, waving their arms around in agitation. The crew started scanning the port, searching for something, and EJ knew her time had run out. If she was going to escape, she had to make her choice and commit.
The Fleet would have been proud.
She snorted under her breath and headed for the Sraibur, approaching from the side in case there were crew in the cargo bay. When she saw the lone officer standing near a terminal and checking things off a supply list, she almost turned around and took her chances on the Hollbrd. She wasn’t prepared to deal with a ship full of Xaravians. They were barbarians and criminals; everyone knew it. They’d spent so much time warring on their planet that they’d practically wiped each other out—so they turned their violent ways on the rest of the universe.
The only good things she’d heard about them was they challenged the Alliance, battled the Fleet, and supported the rebellion. But that didn’t mean she wanted to be stuck on a ship with them, especially since they were a crew in ungoverned space and a shady spaceport.
Another shout and more movement from around the Hollbrd made the decision for her. EJ strode up the ramp like she belonged there and immediately sidled behind some crates. She kept a wary eye on the Xaravian at the terminal, waiting for him to hear or spot her, but when he didn’t turn, she continued on toward the back of the bay and several piles of equipment and supplies. Her heart still pounded but a familiar sense of euphoria caught her up and helped carry her through. She’d pulled it off once again.
EJ smiled and melted back into the cargo bay, though she kept her ears tuned to any approaching footsteps. She didn’t start to relax until the rest of the barbarian crew returned, their voices loud and intimidating as they dragged in supplies and argued about something she couldn’t understand. It was nerve-wracking to hear that much of a ruckus in a language she only partly understood. The universal translator the Fleet implanted in her head wasn’t nearly as effective after not being updated in half a dozen years, so sometimes she only got the gist of certain languages.
But the Sraibur’s cargo bay door closed and the ship hummed to life, and the familiar jolt as it took off and left the spaceport’s artificial gravity made it clear she was stuck on the ship for the near future. She sighed as she slid to the floor and rested her head against one of the crates. Her heart eventually slowed as the adrenaline faded. EJ closed her eyes for just a moment. She needed to plan and figure out where she was going to hide on the ship, but it was better to let the crew settle in and move into nighttime rest before she started moving around. She exhaled and figured it was a victory that she’d escaped the Hollbrd and left all of that misery behind on the spaceport.
Only time would tell if new misery waited for her on the Sraibur.