Bane

“Horrible fucking timing,” I say to Vruzzy, storming onto the deck and standing behind his seat. “What’s going on?”

“Patrol ship,” Vruzzy says. “They tried to scan our systems to see where we came from but I’ve got us locked down like a son of a bitch. We’re safe in that regard. Now they want to board us. It’s safe to say they’ve discovered Elena is gone and they’ve got patrols looking for her. What do you think?”

“How serious are they about boarding? Blow us out of space if we don’t comply type of thing?”

“Yes, they’re being extremely persistent. I can hold them off for a few more minutes but then they’re going to want an answer.”

“We can’t let them see Elena. Is there somewhere we can hide her?”

Vruzzy’s quiet for a minute and even though I know he’s thinking, it makes me impatient. I told Elena I’d never turn her over again and I meant it. I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep her safe.

“The escape pod?” Vruzzy finally says.

“She can stay in there without it deploying?”

“Yes. There are only two ways for it to deploy, from the bridge or doing it manually from inside. Why would they bother looking in there?”

“It’s worth a try,” I say, slapping Vruzzy on the back before I run back to find Elena. Back in our room she threw her gown back on and is waiting impatiently on the edge of the bed. I make a mental note to try to find her more appropriate clothes.

“What’s going on?” she asks, standing up as soon as I enter.

“Patrol ships,” I say. “It looks like they know you’re gone.”

“Shit,” she says, looking worried. “What are we going to do?”

“Hide you. And let them board. If that works, we’ll be in the clear until we make it to Nimbus.”

“Okay.” She looks like she’s going to be sick. “How much time do we have until they board?”

“Not a lot, let’s go.” I grab the blanket off of the bed in case she gets cold and take her hand, pulling her along behind me. We move through the corridor quickly until we reach the side of the ship where there’s a row of escape pods. For no particular reason I go to the pod in the middle and press the button. The panel slides open, revealing the inside of the pod. It’s small, only enough room for one person. Thankfully, it is surrounded in solid steel with only a small window facing out toward space. There’s no way anyone would find her unless they decide to open each pod and look inside.

Elena steps inside and settles into the chair. I lay the blanket over her lap before stepping back. “Just stay quiet and I’ll come get you when it’s safe.”

She nods her head and I press the button, closing her inside. Every instinct inside of me wants to hang out here and make sure she’s okay but I know that isn’t the smart choice. I don’t want to draw attention to the pods, either. So, I make myself walk back to the bridge where I will have to wait patiently with Vruzzy.

“Everything good?” Vruzzy asks when I get back on board.

“Yeah, we’re good.”

“Alright, I’ll give them the signal to board.”

He presses a few buttons on the panel in front of him and then leans forward, speaking into the comms unit. “Readying dock door number one.” There’s a moment of dead air and then someone from the patrol ship acknowledges.

“Entering dock number one,” the voice says.

“Try not to look so guilty,” Vruzzy says.

“What are you talking about? I’m calm.”

“Hopefully it will seem that way to someone who doesn’t know you,” he says. “I’ve been through many patrol checks before. They’ll do a quick sweep and then they’ll be on their way. Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh Vruzzy, I wish you didn’t say that…it’s bad luck.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “All of those years in prison made you superstitious I see.”

“It’s hard not to be.”

Moments later, four guards walk through the dock doors. Vruzzy and I stand to meet them, while the rest of his crew is still spread out around the ship at their different stations.

The guards stand before us, matching our tall Suthune frames and muscular builds, though they aren’t from Kosmora. All species from various planets around the galaxy serve on the patrol units, and from the looks of it, we’ve come across a patrol of Strax’ens. They look reptilian because their bodies are covered with large, smooth scales and all four of them have long tails. Their skin is a mottled grayish green color and the way their eyes flick around gives the impression that they’re good at their jobs…searching and recovering.

“What can we help you with?” Vruzzy asks.

“We need to do a sweep of your ship,” one of the guards says.

“And what are you looking for?” I ask. I don’t know if it’s my place to question them but it seems strange if I don’t ask.

“Illegal goods,” he says.

He’s not telling the truth but it doesn’t matter. Vruzzy motions with his arm for them to proceed. “Do what you need to do,” he says. The guards begin walking down the corridor. I was going to hang out on the bridge so I don’t look too guilty, but something inside of me won’t let them near Elena alone.

“Where are you going?” Vruzzy asks in a stern whisper as I start to follow them down the corridor.

“I’m just going to keep an eye on them.” I walk away even though Vruzzy throws his hands up in frustration. Further down the corridor I finally catch up with them. I’m pleased to see that they aren’t opening every small compartment and pulling up parts of the floor or anything. They are opening and checking inside of each room.

“What kinds of illegal goods are we talking about?” I ask once I’ve caught up to them.

“We’re not at liberty to give details,” one of the guards says.

I nod and say, “Let me know if you need any help getting into any of the rooms.” Then I walk down the hallway toward the escape pods. I need to find something to occupy my time and make me look busy while they continue their search, something that will keep me within sight of where Elena is hiding.

The guards continue searching each room as they make their way down the corridor. I’ve busied myself with some of the freight that Vruzzy’s men brought on board. Some of the crates contain supplies so I take this time to begin putting some of the things away.

Eventually the guards come into view again. To my incredible relief, they walk right past the escape pods and continue towards me.

“Is there storage below us?” he asks.

“Yeah, a small space. I can show you if you’d like.”

He nods and I lead them away from the pods toward the metal ladder that leads down below us to a small storage space and not much more.

“Here you go,” I say, pointing to the ladder and stepping aside.

Two of the guards go down the ladder while the other two stand watch above. There’s an awkward silence that fills the space while we all wait for the other two guards to come back.

“All clear,” the guard says when he gets to the top of the ladder. Once they’re all back, they finish their rounds and return to the bridge.

“Why are you masking your system from us? We tried to scan it and were unable to,” one of the guards asks Vruzzy.

“It’s personal preference. I don’t like anyone snooping where they shouldn’t be unless they ask permission, first.” Vruzzy smiles at the guard and my muscles tense as I wait for his reaction.

“Very well, it would have made this whole process much easier, though. Just so you know…for the future.”

“Well, thank you for the tip. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be on our way to Nimbus again.”

The guard nods to Vruzzy and then they all turn back to the docking bay. It doesn’t feel like I allow myself to breathe until I watch their patrol ship fly off into space, leaving us alone once again.

It doesn’t take me long to get to Elena and open the escape pod door. I almost laugh when the door opens and she has completely covered herself in the blanket. She isn’t moving, probably not even breathing.

“Elena, it’s me,” I say.

She pulls the blanket down, leaving a wild array of curls in their wake. “Thank God,” she says, brushing the strands of hair out of her face. “I didn’t know…”

“I know,” I say, extending my hand to help her out of the small space. “We are in the clear all the way to Nimbus. You don’t have anything to worry about anymore, Elena.”