Chapter 5

“We’ve got enough fuel rods to get us to Halkon Station and for trading, if you wanted to stop.” Eaon interrupted her thoughts, bringing Sloan back from her memories. He put down the updated inventory list once the items from the shuttle haul had been added. “Do you want me to set a course, or are we heading straight to Seru Prime?” Eaon asked, turning his chair to face Sloan.

Sloan glanced over his shoulder at the course he’d plotted, taking in his slightly feathered appearance. His blue feathered hair was something she had gotten used to, but sometimes Sloan thought of the pictures she’d drawn as a child. Using her imagination to draw a human with feathered hair was something she would have done in her childhood.

Eaon had been a crew member for more than two years. He’d been an invaluable addition and one whose judgment she always trusted when it came to navigation. Eaon was the only person she trusted more than Dev and Neven, but he’d left the Arrow years ago. It still hurt her heart when she thought of the day he’d left what she thought of as their ship. Another person in her life who had left her behind.

Sloan had let only a small set of individuals into her heart as friends and family in the years since she’d been taken from Earth. She hadn’t let any in when it came to love. It was hard to let yourself be vulnerable when the scars and damage of years of captivity crisscrossed your body. Thinking of the little girl she’d been, happy to spend time with her parents after her birthday, Sloan wished she could go back and tell her she would survive everything that was to come.

Knowing she would captain a ship and would work with people like Eaon, Erl, and Dev might have made some of her darker times more bearable. Knowing she would encounter amazing—and not-so-amazing—species from civilizations she couldn’t have even imagined as a child might have made those first few years less painful. She wondered what her life would have been like had Earth never been discovered and conquered.

Eaon cleared his throat, snapping Sloan out of her daze.

“I think we’re going to need this pit stop. We’re going to need to resupply before Seru. I’ll also be able to send out a call to let others know we are available for any transport or courier jobs. I don’t think there will be too much shady business on Halkon,” Sloan said.

“No, Captain. I believe we’re probably the most suspicious group that turns up there every so often.” Eaon chuckled.

“I think you might be right. I’ll be sure to tell everyone not to get into any fights this time. I don’t feel like bailing anyone out again. It cuts into everyone’s share when we have to spend credits on bail.” Sloan let out a yawn.

“Cap, go get some sleep. You’ve had a busy day.”

“We need to conserve fuel, so no more FTL jumps until we leave Halkon.” Sloan yawned again.

“Charting our course now, Captain.” He whirled back around in his nav console chair.

Sloan’s eyes drooped as the adrenaline of the standoff with Ganthar’s henchman wore off. It had been a while since she’d had a night of uninterrupted sleep, and her bed was calling out to her.

“I’m heading to my quarters. Only comm me if something is on fire.” She got up and made her way through the corridors as crew members gave her semi salutes. While she wasn’t an actual military captain, her crew, some of them ex-military, had taken to saluting her as a sign of respect. She wasn’t going to fight it. The entry scanner to her quarters was a welcome sight as she rounded the corner, but a beep from her comm told her she would not be resting anytime soon.

“Something better be on fire,” Sloan growled into her comm, one hand on her hip and her boot tapping against the cold steel floor.

“Not yet, but some things in the med bay are about to be destroyed,” Erl said in an out-of-breath tone that suggested he had been getting a tough workout. She heard crashing sounds in the background, as though something was trying to claw its way out of the room. “It seems our new visitor has had a little trouble adjusting,” Erl said. Sloan could hear more crashing coming from behind him.

“I’m on my way.” Sloan broke into a jog as she made her way down three decks and through the mazelike corridors to the med bay. The blue-glass entrance had a nice crack running the length of the door. Great, that’s at least fifty credits, she thought. This was shaping up to be a model rescue. Not. Sloan walked through the automatic door as a stool went flying past her head. Ducking out of the way, she found the culprit: her newly rescued visitor, who’d apparently gained some strength.

“Hey, I can take you back to Ganthar if you’re going to repay me for getting you out of there by fucking up my ship!” She unsnapped the holster on her blaster, prepared to stun him if needed. Her ship’s new patient froze on the spot, another stool held high over his head. He stared at her in shock, then slowly lowered the seat to the floor.

“Good start. Now can you tell me why the hell you’re trying to destroy my med bay. I’m glad some of your strength has returned, but if this is how you’re going to be, there is an airlock with your name on it.” She practically shouted through her fatigue and her anger at him for trying to bust up her ship. He didn’t move but had stopped throwing things, so that was a step in the right direction.

“Speaking of names, we haven’t been introduced yet. I’m Sloan. I’m the captain of the ship that you’re destroying. She’s called the Arrow. And your name is . . .” She held out her hand, waiting for a response from the ragged patient. While he seemed slightly stronger, Sloan could tell he needed more medical attention. His eyes were sunken, cheekbones prominent, and although his wrists were bandaged, blood began to seep through the bandages. He’d reopened the wounds.

Familiar with how much it took to bring someone back to health after captivity, Sloan knew it would be a few more weeks before he was fully nourished. Even now his strong features, straight nose, imposing cheekbones, and piercing eyes showed her he was a handsome man. His eyes were what gave her pause. They were gold, flecked with a green that made her want to stare. A piece of glass falling from one of the broken medicine cabinets brought Sloan back.

Sloan moved around, trying to clean up some of the mess while keeping an eye on her rescue. Papers, glass, overturned furniture, and medical supplies were all over the room.

“You sure did a number on this place.” She held out her hand again, gesturing to their new arrival, hoping he would fill her in. Still nothing. “Well, since you’ve calmed down now, stopped destroying things, and don’t seem to want to talk, I’m going to get some sleep.” Sloan was exasperated and pissed off with the newcomer. He whispered something so quietly she strained to get closer.

“What was that? Is your name Jan?”

“Xan. My name is Xan.” His hoarse whisper was barely audible. Sloan knew he hadn’t used his voice for much other than screaming in a while. She’d been there. She knew.

“All right, Xan, why don’t I get you some water, and we can sit down and have a chat. Would that be okay with you?”

He nodded slowly. Sloan went over to the sink, grabbed a couple of cups, and motioned for Xan to sit down on the bed. She dragged a chair to his bedside.

“Captain, do you want us to stick around?” Erl swept up some of the glass from the floor and dumped it into the refuse.

“That’s okay, Erl. I’m sure Xan is going to behave himself, and we won’t have any other problems. Right, Xan?”

Xan nodded and kept his eyes trained on Sloan’s face.

“I’ll be right outside, if you need me.”

“Thanks, Erl.” She angled her head slightly to watch Erl back out of the med bay, not wanting to take her eyes off Xan.

She heard the med bay doors open and close and moved back to the male, ready to listen.