The next three weeks passed by in a studying flurry and I had my nose pressed to my datapad's screen constantly. I only left my sleeping compartment to eat, to follow Luxea around the ship while she made repairs and did her daily checks, and to shower. I wasn't really interested in engineering as a whole, since Luxea was right. That would take years of intense studying and a keen interest. More than likely I would need a talent for it, which I didn't really have or wanted to develop.

What I did have was a strong interest in electronics.

With Luxea's insight and my own extrapolation of the information she shared with me and showed me how to look up in the ship's computer, I knew there was a treasure trove of things to discover if I took the time to look for and discover them. I limited myself to six hours of sleep a night and used various mental techniques to keep my mind clear of other thoughts, focused on the task at hand, and to enhance my learning ability so I would retain the information I was forcibly trying to cram into my head at a much faster rate than most people could.

I used Presence to reinforce my mental capacity and let it organize my thoughts and the information I was absorbing, and I wasn't surprised when I started to understand things more than I would have weeks before. By the end of the three weeks, I no longer thought of the junction boxes as nightmares. They were interconnected pathways that let the ship run smoothly.

I started to instinctively know what wires were for which system, and when I wasn't sure, I let the flow of Presence guide me. Luxea and I had just finished checking the last junction box and when I secured the panel back in place, the ship's speakers squawked.

“We're about to drop out of hyperspace and into the Granis System.” Rus' voice said. “Luxea, get your tight ass up to the cockpit right now.”

“He's such a jerk.” Luxea said and took the wrench from me and put it in her pocket.

“Well, he's been wanting to have sex with you for how long now?” I asked, and she chuckled.

“I'm fine with sleeping with members of the crew; but, I draw the line with sleeping with the boss.” Luxea said and walked down the hallway. “Unlike the others I take to my bed, the boss can fire you.”

“Is that all that's stopping you?” I asked, curiously.

“No.” Luxea said and opened the hatch to enter the central shaft. “Like I said. He's a jerk.”

“But...”

“Ullir, I have to at least like someone if I'm going to spend time with them.” Luxea said and was about to swing out into the zero gravity field from the handhold when I caught her arm. She looked at me with wide eyes, then she caught her breath as I picked her up in a princess carry and she had to put her arms around my neck. She didn't speak as I jumped out into the central shaft and used Presence to propel us up to the cockpit level in only a couple of moments.

I landed on the deck beside the security door. “Now Rus can't bitch at you for not rushing.”

Luxea kept her arms around my neck as I stood her up on her feet. “Ullir...”

“Just because I don't want to get involved with you and the other women, it doesn't mean that I don't like you.” I said and let her go.

Luxea slid her hands down my chest and closed her eyes for a moment, then she looked at me. “I really am sorry for how things turned out between us.”

“Surprisingly, so am I.” I said to her surprised face, then I stepped around her and opened the security hatch. “After you.”

Luxea nodded and entered the cockpit. When Rus didn't say anything to her about being late or taking her time, she nodded at me and took her seat.

I looked at her console, then at the middle one Rus sat at, and then at the navigation console that Cassie was using. “What's with the reddish display screen color?” I asked, curiously.

“We're on high alert, just in case there's a blockade or something.” Rus said. “I sincerely doubt it; but, you never know what the fringes of the galaxy might have in store for you until you get there.”

“There could be an entertainer's strike over a hospitality tax hike.” Cassie said.

“Or the transshipment fees are being handled by a new cartel and they want their cut before we reach the station.” Luxea said.

“Or there's a shortage of drinkable alcohol in the hotels and they confiscate it from incoming vessels.”

“That's not a good way to run a tourist attraction.” I said, and the three of them laughed.

“It's more of an all-consuming machine that constantly needs to be fed.” Rus said. “Half of our current cargo is intended to be sold here.”

“Intended? Not guaranteed?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Sometimes the people who ordered it made a mistake, or can't pay.” Rus said. “Exiting hyperspace... now.” He said and hit the button to cut power to the hyperspace generator and the ship dropped into normal space. The stars shifting back to their normal state wasn't as big of a deal for me, now that I had seen it a few times.

“Sometimes the clients aren't around anymore, too.” Luxea said. “That happens more often than not, to be honest.”

“But...”

“Don't worry.” Rus said. “The goods can be offloaded pretty much anywhere we go.” He chuckled. “We've even made more money than the original order sometimes.”

“You're thinking about the Corsican Chickens, aren't you?” Cassie asked her father. “Nothing new on the navigation screen.”

“By the Goddess, those farmers on Apan thought they were gifts from the Goddess Chaiya herself!” Rus laughed. “It's still the best deal we ever made.”

“Double the market price for a hundred thousand chickens? It'll always be the best deal!” Cassie said and laughed, too.

“The farmers almost died of shock when we said that three quarters of the chickens were egg-layers.” Luxea said and joined in on the laughter.

“I could have charged triple!” Rus guffawed and wiped his eyes. “Oooo... ooo.” He said as he calmed down. “I'd already quoted double, so I couldn't change the price then.”

“They even made him an honorary planetary citizen.” Cassie said with a grin. “He just needs to give up shipboard life and move there.”

“Bite your tongue, young lady!” Rus barked. “How's the course for the station dock?”

“Locked in and the lanes are clear.” Cassie said and sat back. “You might want to call some of the customers and let them know we're here.”

“It can wait.” Rus said and reduced the power to the ship's normal engines before he turned to face me. “This is one of the longest stops we have, since so much of our cargo needs to go here.”

“I'm almost afraid to ask.” I said, and he chuckled.

“The last time it was three weeks before we could get everyone to pay up.” Rus said. “A few of them think they can take the order, sell it, and then pay us.” He shook her head. “We don't work on commission. You order, we buy, we bring it to you and sell it to you. End of story.”

“I'm not going to ask what your markup percentage is.” I smiled.

“There's no standard. It all depends on the goods and the difficulty in shipping them.” Luxea said and held her hands out and wiggled her fingers at me, then spoke dramatically. “I can... show you... the formulas!”

“Oh, no!” I exclaimed and covered my eyes. “Anything but that!”

“Mwahahaha!” Luxea laughed an evil laugh. It set everyone off and we all joined in and laughed, too.

Rus flew the ship in slowly so that Donny and I could prep some of the cargo containers for transshipment. With so many of them leaving the ship, it was going to take a long time to get them all ready. Rus and Luxea told us which ones had priority and Donny marked them, then we prepped them and brought them to the pressurized area for easy pickup by the clients.

Several small patrol ships floated by and talked to Rus over the repaired communication system. I had initially thought they were security and were some kind of port authority or something. I learned later that they were just very eager customers and wanted to know how long they had to wait to pick up their orders. It made me laugh and then I wondered what those orders could be. I was tempted to ask a few times; but, it wasn't any of my business. Plus, they were harbouring me on their ship, knew full well who I was and who was looking for me, and they didn't turn me in.

The smaller orders were out and gone within the first few days, and some of the bigger orders by the end of the first week. It took nearly a full week for one of the large hotels to finish picking up their order, which was a significant amount of containers. They were either a new business or they were refurbishing everything they had. They paid in full, much to my surprise, and then the customers stopped coming.

“I think that's it.” Luxea said and double-checked her pending list. “There's a couple of small timers still; but, they were a low priority for pick-up anyway.” She said. “Now the fun begins.”

“Fun?” I asked.

“Now we can head over and try to make money above and beyond the normal orders.” Donny said. “I've got a container full of little goodies that I know are going to be a big hit.”

“Make sure you give some of whatever it is to the station manager.” Luxea warned him.

“I wasn't born yesterday.” Donny said and chuckled, and I looked at him with wide eyes. “The first thing you do is give tribute before trying to peddle things on her station.”

“I thought it was a ring of stations linked together.”

“It is, and each has their own section manager; but, she was the one that had the bright idea to come here in the first place and link everyone together to make one gigantic promenade.” Donny said. “It's a completely brilliant idea and it saves energy across the entire thing, since it's only a single object to keep relatively still and not dozens of them trying to stay close to one another and near the same spot to get the same view.”

“Are we all going again?” I asked as we closed everything up and locked it down.

“Hell, no.” Donny said. “Rus has first shift.”

“How long...”

“Two days.” Luxea said. “Then I'll come back and take over.”

“Evelyn's next on watch. After that, we usually have everything sold and we all come back to the ship for the last day, admire the view, then head off to the next stop.” Donny said. “Cassie only had to do it once and I've never had to stand watch.” He chuckled. “Just so you know, I'm not complaining at all!”

We finished up and went to the crew quarters to change into normal clothes and prepared for a couple of days off of the ship. When we all went to the shuttle to leave, Rus was there to send us off.

“You all have fun.” Rus said as each crew member passed into the umbilical to the shuttle, then he held a hand out to me when it was my turn. “You've done good work since you've been on the ship.” He said and put a credit chip in my hand. “It's standard wages for six weeks of work.”

“Rus, I wasn't doing it for...”

“I know, kid.” Rus said and cut me off. “You also didn't complain once, talked back when someone asked you to do something, or tried to shirk your duties.” He said. “You had no obligation to keep working in the cargo bay when you were learning how to do other jobs, and yet you went right back there each time we stopped and worked like an old pro.”

“Rus...”

“You earned it.” Rus said and then smiled slyly. “Although, if you didn't notice, I said standard wages and not crew wages.” He slapped me on the shoulder. “You need to be on the crew for six months before you get full shares.”

“That's more than fair, Rus.” I said. “Thanks.”

“You're thanking me for not paying you like the other crew?” Rus chuckled and shook his head. “You poor naive boy.”

“I'm not a part of the crew officially, since that would jeopardize your cover story.” I said. “I didn't expect to get paid at all, so getting anything from you is a surprise.”

Rus took a breath and let it out. “Take care of yourself out there and stay close to Rhubin.” He said. “I also suggest you slouch and take that tie out of your hair.”

“But...”

“Yeah, your hair will be harder to deal with.” Rus said. “It should also make you look different than your wanted poster.”

I smiled at him. “I've got that covered.” I said and took out a partial face mask. It was actually a damaged blast shield from a helmet that I had trimmed to fit like a pair of goggles over my face and left my mouth uncovered. I slipped it on over my face and then took the tie out of my hair. I bent over and shook my head to fluff my hair out with the use of Presence, like Ohazith had shown me, then stood up straight and flipped my hair back.

“I'm not even going to ask how you can see out through that thing.” Rus said and chuckled. “It seems I was worried for nothing, though.”

“Maybe.” I smiled. “See you later.” I said and stepped into the shuttle.

“By the goddess.” Cassie whispered as she saw me. “What... why...”

“It's so people won't see my face.” I said.

“They'll be too busy looking at all that wonderful hair.” Evelyn said as she stared at me.

“That's what I'm hoping for.” I said and gave her a wicked smile. I thought I saw her tremble as her flow of Presence increased slightly. I bowed my head to her and took a seat at the back of the shuttle, then Rhubin lifted off. Only a couple of minutes later, we were docked to the station. Rhubin was lucky that we were associated with Rus' long haul transport, because the docking fees were waved for traders. According to Luxea, they could compound the fees by the day if you managed to find an unscrupulous dock master.

“This place is just getting more and more interesting.” I said sarcastically, and she laughed as we approached the hatch to enter the station proper.

“If you come here as a tourist, you don't see or hear about any of this.” Luxea said. “It's all done under the table and out of sight by the people who come here for business.”

“Well, I want to see this tourist attraction, so do I count as a tourist?” I asked.

Luxea turned to look at me, then she reached up and tapped the black blast shield over my eyes. “That story isn't going to work with you blinded like this.”

“Maybe I want to hear it, then.” I joked, and she laughed.

“If you're smart, play up the blinded part.” Luxea said. “If you want, I can lead you around for today.”

“I appreciate the offer.” I said and reached up and lightly touched her cheek with my fingertips, then I ran my fingers through her blonde hair. “We both know you have things you would rather be doing than dragging me around with you.”

Luxea opened her mouth for a moment, then she smiled. “What if I just wanted to keep an eye on you?”

I chuckled. “Keeping an eye on a blind man. Good one.”

“You're going to keep saying no to anything I offer, aren't you?” Luxea asked.

“That would make me quite the fool, wouldn't it?” I asked back, and she laughed.

“Definitely.”

“Then this fool will meet you back on the ship in a couple of days.”

Luxea nodded and turned back to the hatch and opened it.

“Am I going with you?” Rhubin asked.

“That depends on how deep into the rabbit hole you want to go.” I asked.

“Excuse me?” Rhubin asked. “What does that mean?”

I wasn't sure how to explain a children's story to him without having to explain that I learned about it in another life. “I'm only pretending to be a tourist while I look for someone.” I said instead. “I'm kind of sure where I need to go to first, and it's not in the nice part of the station.”

“Well, Lashina said to look out for you.” Rhubin said. “I'll go where you need me to go.”

“I assume...”

“...correctly.” Rhubin said and smiled.

“Give it to me.” I said.

“What?”

“There's a security checkpoint before we go into the station.” I said. “I doubt that...”

“You're allowed to carry weapons.” Luxea said, and motioned for us to go through the hatch.

“Really?” I asked.

“How else would you defend yourself if someone attacked you?” Luxea asked.

I shrugged, because I had left my pistol and rifle back in my sleeping compartment. I stepped by her, as did the others, and she closed the hatch.

“Have fun, everyone.” Luxea said and somehow managed to disappear into the crowd that was nearby. We walked over to that crowd and waited in line as people were checked at the security station.

“How are you going to get by the scanner?” Rhubin whispered to me.

“I'm going to block my face, of course.” I whispered back, and he chuckled as he looked at the black blast shield I wore over my eyes.

“Sorry. Stupid question.”

I put a band of solid Presence around my head at the same size of the blast shield, just in case, to stop any scanner that might be able to penetrate the thick reinforced metal. It should make it look like it's embedded in my skull, and I won't be asked to remove it. I also used the technique that Ohazith taught me to mask my Presence flow and covered my Light sword in Presence as well, just in case. We all passed through the checkpoint without incident and entered the station.

“I'm getting a room in the Hamilton.” Cassie said to us. “If you need me for anything, ask for me there.”

“You're not going anywhere else?” I asked.

“They have everything I need, so no.” Cassie said and laughed. “Bye!”

“Keep your wrist com active!” Donny yelled, and she waved at him as she walked away. “I'm going to the cheapest and best bar on the station.” He said. “See you in a few days.”

Donny walked off and I looked at Evelyn.

“He's not joking.” Evelyn said with a smile. “He'll stay in the bar the whole time.”

“Drinking?” I asked, and she laughed.

“It's a strip club.” Evelyn said and put a hand on my arm. “I'll be at the Hamilton, too.” She said and gave my arm a squeeze, then walked away without hearing my answer.

“Okay, how are you doing that?” Rhubin asked.

“Doing what?” I asked and walked off in the direction I wanted to go.

“The three of them are acting like they are in love with you, and you haven't done anything to them.” Rhubin asked as he followed me. “You're even actively discouraging them.” He said. “I don't get it.”

“I have an idea why; but, I can't tell you.” I said, and he looked at me like I had kicked him in the stomach. “It might break the mood and it definitely doesn't work for everyone or in every situation.”

“Dammit, Ullir.” Rhubin said. “You've got to tell me if it'll work most of the time!”

I chuckled. “Ask me about it later and I'll try to explain it when I've got the time.”

“You're always busy.” Rhubin said, and I gave him a crooked smile. “That's part of it?” He asked, and I nodded. “Okay, I'll try and figure it out for myself.”

“If you do find out, it might not be for you.” I said. “You're a hot-shot pilot. People expect you to act a certain way.”

“Which is different from what you've been doing.” Rhubin said and stopped talking as he thought about it. I led him across the station to the part that Ohazith had mentioned in the information she gave me.