No one seemed to notice or care that he’d taken all three packets of carpolt pellets from the galley. They only seemed relieved he stayed in the cargo bay and kept to himself.
To help Ruby stay warm and comfortable, he ripped a length of bedding and wore it as a scarf wrapped multiple times around his neck. That allowed her to stay nestled next to the strip of bare skin at the base of his neck without the worry of falling. As she gained strength she’d occasionally crawl out of the scarf to perch on his shoulder but would always find her way back into the folds of fabric. He got used to her and talked to her often.
By the time they reached Polkor Station, she was looking much better. There were only a few more pellets left, making himdetermined to find more food for her or he wasn’t boarding the next ship on his schedule.
“It’s time for you to leave.” The same crewmember he first met was there to make sure he left. She jumped back with a hiss when Ruby stuck her head out from the top of the scarf. “What is that?”
Unimpressed with the crewmember, Ruby snuggled back down against his neck.
“My good friend, Ruby,” Myrum said, knowing it would make no sense to another Talin to call a small animal a friend.
“Leave quickly,” the crewmember said as she unsuccessfully stifled most of her grumble of disgust. “You know where the hatch is.”
Then she was gone. A rumble of amusement bubbled up from Myrum’s chestbox at the Talin’s overreaction. It felt good to find something funny.
Hefting his packed bedroll over one shoulder and his bags over the other, he left the bay and made his way off the ship and onto Polkor Station. It was a busy place. The dock was teeming with traffic mostly made up of Ossisos and Hulgs. He didn’t see another Talin anywhere.
No sooner did he step past the ship’s hatch than it slammed shut and warning lights went off to declare the ship’s intention to disembark.
“Thank you for your gift of time and skill,” he murmured to the closed hatch. “It was a lovely trip. I’ll make sure Holian knows how accommodating and welcoming you were. I left some crazy in the bay, try not to get it on yourself. It’s contagious!"
Done mocking the ship and amusing himself, he joined the slow-moving foot traffic to the security checkpoint that would lead deeper into the station. If there was time after finding food for Ruby, he’d send a message to Holian. The commandantwould want to know he made it safely to Polkor, and Myrum didn’t trust the other ship to keep Holian informed.
Thinking about his mission made him think about surviving. Before, he almost didn’t care if he made it back to Kalor. When he’d agreed to this assignment, he’d seen it as a way to end his life without anyone knowing he’d done it on purpose. He’d go out, meet with the Ossiso, do as Holian requested, then find a way to end it all. He was tired of living as the broken version of himself.
Ruby changed things. She made him determined to see them both return home.
Chapter 2
Amina
“What are you doing here?”
Amina looked up to find an Ugarian towering over her. This Ugarian was dressed in the same uniform as her, and the way her ears were facing outward and folded down told Amina she was upset.
Sitting up from where she’d been hunched over an open panel, Amina turned the information square in her hand to show the diagnostic data displayed there. “I just finished checking the flow regulator. What are you doing here?”
“You know that’s not what I meant,” Helmen said, crouching down next to her. “You don’t usually do these runs. It’s too close to the Talin Empire.”
Amina rolled her eyes. “Don’t you start! We’ll be in Hulg territory; that’s not even close.”
Helmen’s ears flipped back with frustration. “As your elder cousin and the captain of this ship, I have the power to put you on the next transport back into Ilgorian space.”
“You have the power, but not the crew,” Amina countered. “Gregoris is still recovering from that fall. Hismus is on break—he just got married, remember? Everyone else that could be spared is crewing the new ship. What are you going to do if you send me home, hire a stranger?”
“I could find someone here,” Helmen said, rubbing a hand through the dark blue fur on her head. Helmen’s fur color was rare among Ugarians—most of them were a lighter blue or shades of brown—but she had the typical build, tall and lean, with a pronounced snout, and long, elegant ears at the top of her head.
Amina raised an eyebrow. “You’d hire a Hulg?”
As expected, her cousin’s ears fluttered back and forth, a clear sign she was thinking about something. Probably trying to figure out how to run the ship without Amina because there was no way she’d ever hire an outsider, even temporarily.
Their ship, Steady, was one of only six that comprised TML Travel and Freight. They were a small, family-run shipping company that didn't hire outsiders. Partly because family came first, but also because they didn’t always work within the boundaries of the law.
“No, I’m not going to hire some Hulg,” Helmen said with a long, frustrated sigh. “But I specifically told Shelsha not to assign any of our human-presenting family on this run.”
That got Amina’s attention. “Why? I’m not in any more danger than the rest of you.”
“Except you are,” Helmen said. “Our next assignment includes transporting a Talin to a remote outpost in Ossiso space.”
