or at least identify opportunities to get off the gen ship or hide or... survive. Choosing to be knocked out meant giving up, giving in. She could fight on the Sraibur until they tranquilized her, which just ended up with her on the Hollbrd with no way to know what cell they locked her in. Going quietly at least gave her time to observe any new security features the Hollbrd’s guards instituted. EJ didn’t think she could actually fight free on the Sraibur. There wasn’t anywhere to escape to, not if Nokx didn’t care and Violet didn’t know.
Although... EJ’s attention went to where she’d stashed the communicator puck Violet gave her. If she could get to it and signal the other Earther, there was a chance...
Faros snapped his fingers. “Female. Are you going to go quietly?”
“Violet said you and me were alike,” EJ said slowly. She kept a close watch on his expression, hoping she could wound him. Give him something to think about after they abandoned her to a slow, miserable death on a generational ship. “She said I thought like a pirate, that I defended what I’ve done like you once did. Maybe we are alike. I didn’t want to believe her.”
The captain didn’t blink. “Story-time is past, Earther. You will not delay us with irrelevant details.”
“You’re selfish,” EJ said. “You’re selfish and you don’t care who you destroy so long as it means getting what you want. I can see how she thought that, since I... I got on your ship not caring what it meant for your crew; I just wanted to save my own life. I tried to be selfish for good reasons, to help others. Maybe I’m just trying to justify something to make myself feel better about the past. But you... You’re just cruel. You don’t have to send me back. There’s no reason. It’s just—you’re just a pirate and a dick. At least before you had a noble cause to explain why you destroyed and stole and screwed everyone over; you were just trying to save your family. I could respect that. But throwing someone else’s life away because you see the chance for a sliver of profit...”
His eyes hardened and the silver darkened. “Time is up. Harzt, put the female in appropriate clothes and get her to the loading bay.”
“I’ll dress myself,” EJ snapped. She glared at Faros, her rage finally overwhelming the fear. “You can go fuck a haugmawt in the sand. Someday you’ll pay for this. Someday this will come back to haunt you and I hope you remember that you brought it on yourself.”
“Brave words for a stowaway who will soon be locked back up in her cage,” Faros said. He jerked his chin at whoever held her and added, “Wait in the hall while the female dresses.”
EJ wobbled when the massive Xaravian put her on her feet; it was only her strength of will and a bit of luck that kept her upright. At least she didn’t have to deal with the humiliation of collapsing in front of that bastard captain.
The Xaravian security officer ignored her as he went to the door and stood in the hall, which left her scowling at Faros. Alone.
Then there wasn’t anything to do but turn her back so she could drag the duffel bag of clothes—given to her by his mate—for some layers to protect her on the Hollbrd. EJ dragged on another pair of trousers and another shirt, and as she threw around the duffel and made angry sounds and struggled with the fabric, she tucked Violet’s comms device into the waist of the inner pair of pants, where it might be concealed from any sweeps by the chains they would immediately put on her.
When she couldn’t delay anymore, EJ turned to confront Faros once more. She paused. Something in his eyes...
There was the faintest hint of amusement, maybe approval, in his expression. His attention went pointedly to her belt, exactly where she’d put the comms unit, then drifted back up to her face. EJ fought down the urge to hide or defend herself, to lash out in the hopes of distracting him. She braced for the confrontation, for him to rip away the clothes and steal the communicator back, but instead, he stepped back and tilted his head at the door.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she stared at the opening and the corridor beyond, where the hulking security officer waited. It had to be a trap. The