CHAPTER 1
It was Starship Day.
That wasn’t an official holiday, but considering how long Torian Razner, aspiring engineer, current scrap, future captain, had saved for this moment, it reallyshouldbe.
She had to force herself not to hum or bounce on the long walk tottt the impound lot. (“Long” was an understatement, because Colony 13 was a huge space station, and the impound lot was sixteen agonizing levels below both her sister’s medical clinicandAmelia’s docked ship.)
The journey involved a cramped elevator ride down the central column, where they all had to grip special handles to keep from floating into each other, followed by a secondary elevator that required passengers to strap in. That elevator moved “sideways,” kind of, while gravity increased between the corridor and the outer ring of this level.
It hardly mattered. The physics of space were not important for Starship Day.
No, three things were important for Starship Day:
First, ships cost a lot of money, which meant Torian was currently carrying her life savings in an easily stolen drawstring bag. This was abad ideaon Colony 13.
Next, if she got mugged, Celise, her sister and a doctor, would not be happy to stitch Torian back up. Again.
Finally, if this drawstring bag was stolen, Celise literally wouldn’t survive long enough for Torian to save up the amount again.
Which meant thisvery casual strollto the impound lot was actually the most important journey of Torian’s life—and Celise’s.
She could have asked for an escort. Captain Amelia Perrosk, her employer (and nothing else, nope), would have come. But Amelia had a hard-ass reputation for a reason, and she didn’t take kindly to deserters in her crew.
Torian didn’t think she wasdeserting.
But she also wasn’t sure Amelia would agree.
Instead, she forced a smooth expression and tried to channel Amelia’s infamoustouch me, and I’ll kill youpersona.
It was a hollow likeness, since the captain usually had four knives, a shock stick, and a pistol holstered to her attire. Torian had found her old security pistol, but she couldn’t afford ammo, which meant she had an empty pistol and a fake scowl. (And the scowl probably seemed more like she was constipated than threatening.)
EvenCelisecould have done a better job; though she was a doctor, her bedside manner was hot garbage.
The drawstring bag was tucked into a hidden pocket inside Torian’s jacket, pressed against her heart. She’d padded it so her boobs looked bigger (nothing to see here, nothing unnatural, go about your business, definitely not breasting boobily anywhere). It might be her imagination, but as the elevator’s gravity increased, every breath seemed to jingle with the ionite bars.
And ionite bars were a prize.
Torian had twenty of them, pure as anything. Almost a decade of saving, and most of it wasn’t pleasant. She’d only signed with Amelia’s crew last year—before that, it was a lot of shady underground deals from any security broker who’d work with her. Lots of broken bones. Lots of scars. Lots of time in Celise’s clinic, laughing as her sister closed wounds and viciously swore at Torian in the same breath.
And too many times,Celise’sbreath would be cut short by bone-rattling coughs. She would reach for the oxygen tank, butlike the bullets in Torian’s pistol, it was empty more than it was full—pure oxygen from Rhymarra was expensive.
It’s fine,Celise would snap.You’re the one bleeding.
You’re the one dying, Torian would almost reply. (She never did. Not anymore.)
But that’s why today was so important.
Starship Day.
Torian forced herself to take even footsteps, attempting to shift her expression from “constipated” to something confident and standoffish. The main corridor on this ring was wide and tall, framed with starship docks that were divided by huge bulkheads. Shops lined the opposite side: resupply stations for space travelers, a few information kiosks staffed by unhelpful drones, a couple brokerage offices that dealt jobs to starship captains.
The corridor’s crowd thinned as she approached the impound lot. A few people glanced her way, which made Torian feel very uncomfortable with her definitely-just-big-boobs.
Challenge them,Amelia always said.They’re expecting you to feel fear. Show themtheyshould be afraid.
So Torian offered a vicious scowl and mouthed,What?
One woman rolled her eyes. A man snorted, and a third burst out laughing. They clearly didn’t have nefarious intentions, since they all waved her off and went on their ways.
