The two sucker-like antennae on the top of his head stood up. Then he leaned forward, scrutinizing me, and asked, “By Alkenine Gro’sha?”
I leaned in close, too, holding on to the edge of the counter. “Yes! I’m desperate for it.”
The old shopkeep studied me in a new light. He gave a slow nod. “That’s an odd serial for someone your age. How’d you hear about it?”
“My mom,” I supplied simply. He didn’t need to know the rest.
“She’s got good taste.”
I forced a smile. “Yeah. The last installment ended on a cliffhanger, and this is the only one she didn’t have.”
The Rodian clicked his tongue. “That’s a tough one to leave off on, that’s for sure. The Queen should’ve never left her bedroom. She should’ve known it was a trap!”
I threw up my hands. “Especiallyafter the assassination of Ambassador Naur-Ral!”
He leaned back, waving his hand flippantly. “Pfff, I wouldn’t be worried about him.”
“But she saw his body!”
“Didn’t check his pulse.”
I gave it a thought. “She didn’t, did she?”
“Always check for a pulse,” he said solemnly, pushing himself off his stool, and then he shuffled out from behind the counter. He went to the shelf near the celestialabe and started digging through a few bins at the bottom. “I think you might be in luck. I remember seeing one somewhere around here—aha!” He pulled out a small square drive. It was bright blue—like the Crystal of Effervest they were searching for in the serial. The publisher really did know how to market the series way back when.
“If the ambassador is still alive, then who will she choose?” I wondered aloud as he shuffled back behind the counter to make sure the datatape booted up. “The assassin or the ambassador?”
“The assassin droid might still kill her. Hedoesneed the money.”
“The ambassador might backstab her—he wants power!”
We exchanged looks, reader to reader, like to like, before he wrapped the drive in a brown cloth he’d pulled out from under the counter. “You’re in luck today, kid. It’s the last one I’ve got.”
“Thank you.” I took my purse out of my satchel to dig out a few creds and put them on the counter. “Is this enough?”
He didn’t even count them as he took the credits and handed over the wrapped datatape. “Happy reading and—may the stars keep you steady,” he added with a wink, quoting the infamous goodbye in the serial.
I smiled. It was a real one this time. “And the iron keep you safe.”
With a grunt, the Rodian drew on the guise of a curmudgeon again as he sank back onto his stool to pop open his holobook of poetry.
I turned to leave, the package clutched tightly to my chest.
Finally, the last installment. I’d first stumbled on the serial when I found a trunk full of my mom’s things in the belly of the ship a few years ago. It was one of the few things Dad had forgotten about, so he’d forgotten to throw it out, too. The serials and old clothes—including this jacket—and star charts were the last possessions I had of Mom’s.
And now something of her collection was complete. I had actuallyfoundit. Maybe escaping the ship every so often wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
Now all I had to do was find my way back to hangar eighty-nine.
As I left the shop, the front door flew open. I collided with a young man hurrying inside. My forehead met hischin, and we both stumbled back, hissing in pain. He was tall, covered in a ratty-looking cloak, hood pulled low.
“Sorry,” he murmured, rubbing his chin, already passing me into the shop and heading straight for the old Rodian.
“S’fine,” I muttered to myself, because clearly he hadn’t stuck around to see if I was, and left. My head hurt. I was sure I had a red mark where his chin had caught me on my forehead. “Ow…”
I hoped it wouldn’t bruise. Ireallydidn’t want to think up a lie to Dad. I already had enough going.
Remembering the way I’d come, I started down some steps to a market street lined with shops from different sectors, selling specialties at absurd prices. I was good at navigating places I’d been—it came with the territory, really.
