The second jump was longer than the first at a little over 2 hours. It was also quieter than the first, and Valorie’s anxiety trailed off into boredom. At first, she watched Yulia, who had started playing a game on a separate display to her left. She had turned to face it, nestling deep into her chair while resting her feet on the bar below one of her displays. She was completely engrossed in the brightly colored patterns on the screen. The patterns didn’t make much sense to Valorie, so she sank back into her seat, and closed her eyes.

She could still sense all nine people on the ship. She wondered if she could guess which ones were which. She wanted to be able to tell them apart. She pulled up the ship layout through her wired connection.

Those on the bridge were too close to focus on – like trying to pick up the features of a lamp while staring into the light. Instead, she examined the others. Three around the crew quarters, maybe the passengers? And two nearby the bridge, in the kitchen.

Only one was by himself as he moved through the back halls near the top left engine. Quinns was the only one in engineering, so it made sense he might be on his own.

Valorie took a slow breath and felt her body relax. She focused entirely on the presence in engineering. His light was smaller than most, scarred but warm. She followed his path through each of the engine rooms.

Before she knew it, Leon gave the 10-minute warning for reentering normal space. Valorie snapped to attention, searching the new system for anything to report. She sighed as she found nothing useful once again. There was a light tickle – maybe it was the planet life the Captain asked her about. She wouldn’t know for sure until they arrived.

As time ran out, an internal whisper caught her off guard. It was one of her sisters.

“Evie of the Helianthus, please respond.”

“Reporting.” The connection strengthened with her response. Her sister could be a few feet away from her, and she wouldn’t be able to feel the difference.

“Evie.” Her sister solidified the connection. Valorie could see the bridge of an imperial scout. Lit by the sheer number of displays at each station, the view was dim and without windows. Her sister was agitated, unfocused.

“Evie, this is Sila. You are aboard the FL Helianthus?” She asked without waiting for an answer. “The UEE has marked it for inspection in the ongoing investigation of the fugitives, Lorrie Shayla and Margarita Palomo.”

“What? No.”

“Any imperial ship you encounter has orders to detain you.” As she spoke, Valorie could see the notice on Sila’s display. She sat up at her own station and pulled up the ship’s route to the Gomori station. She tapped her connection with Luxe control.

“Olli, Hexa, Sila. Are there any imperial ships along this route?” She asked.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the Captain called for Yulia to decelerate. The ship was leaving the space between. She focused on the system as she waited for a response from her sisters. It felt almost as empty as the last.

“Third and final destinations currently have active imperial ships.” Olli responded. She hesitated, before spilling her thoughts all at once. “We know the rules, but I vote you warn Captain Hughes anyway.” She said. The UEE prohibited forewarning crew-mates of inspections. Shared feelings of the Core Prison surfaced, and fear crept into each sister’s thoughts.

“Seconded.” Sila broke the growing fear, and Valorie felt a universal agreement on the proposal. They agreed, but the thought of punishment lingered in their shared thoughts. They were haunted by the feel of one of their own cut off from Mother. They could hear it scream for help, but it was unable to hear their response. It begged for release, but there was only the vast void. Valorie felt out of breath. She tried to shake the feeling. She could not be scared now. One was nothing compared to the whole. She knew her part. Sila spoke.

“The ship at the third jump is a scout, the MRH Hayes. Contact is Seda.”

Valorie only had time for a moment of gratitude, before the ship tore out of the space between. She needed to focus on her surroundings. Her initial prediction was right, the system had no human life. There was a hint of noise, but she did not have time to elaborate.

“No settled life detected. No transit life detected.” She opened her mouth to say more but froze. She wanted to tell the Captain about the inspection, but when? Could she find him alone? She felt a chill cross her shoulders. The third jump was the next one, she needed to warn them now. She squeezed her hands together in her lap.

The Captain was focused on the next jump. They were going to take it if she didn’t say something soon. She grit her teeth, and unbuckled herself, drifting up out of her seat. She gripped the back of her seat for support.

“Captain. Sir.” She said. Her voice felt tight in her throat as if her body was fighting to keep silent.

“Go ahead, Valorie.”

“An issue has arisen. May I speak with you in private?”

Everyone on the bridge looked at her. Her cheeks flushed, but she remained firm, meeting her Captain’s eyes as she waited for an answer. He met her stare and held it. Was he looking for something? Times like this, she always wondered if humans had their own way of reading minds.

“Yes. Leon, how long until we reach the next jump point.” He said. Leon only looked away from Valorie when his name came up.

“Approx 30 minutes, sir.” There wasn’t a shred of the usual playfulness in his tone.

“I will return in ten.” Gareth unbuckled and pushed away from his chair. With a kick, he was on his way to the back of the bridge. Valorie followed and noticed he was heading for a small door to the right of the exit. Inside was a small break room, complete with a separate bathroom. The layout had zero-g in mind, including handles along the wall. The door shut behind them.

“Well. Go on.” Gareth caught on to one of the counters to steady himself and turned to her. In zero-g, she was at eye level with him, but somehow he remained imposing. Unable to meet his gaze straight on any longer, she looked down.

“I asked to speak in private because what I am considering is a crime for us. For the SCT. For me.” She clarified. He drew closer, and she felt the concern flowing off him. At this distance, she could feel he had an idea of what was coming.

“Look up when you speak.” He said, and she did so. She used the counter to pull away enough that his thoughts would not intrude on her own. She steadied herself.

“But they are not my masters anymore.”

“Correct.” He said. She met his gaze and took a slow breath.

“I received information that the FL Helianthus is marked for imperial inspection. The UEE will detain us for search upon discovery.”

“They learned of the fugitives, then.” He seemed to be searching for something deep within her eyes. She nodded. “You know our route. What stops are they at?”

“Third and Final,” She said. He swore under his breath.

“Of course they are at Gomori.” He crossed his arms, closing his eyes as he thought. “Do you know anything else?”

“The ship at the third stop is the scout MRH Hayes. I can try and learn more. What will help?” She said. Her voice had its trained even tone, but she wished it sounded more earnest. He watched her, and she sensed uncertainty, but not full-blown distrust. He was looking for loyalty in her, but she did not know how to present it as he wished. He tapped his finger on his crossed arms, something was bubbling up under his uncertainty.

“I don’t suppose you can tell me how the UEE found out.”

“No, sir.” She said. He sighed. Her eyes could not handle his scrutiny, and fell to the floor. “They did not say.”

“It was silly of me to ask.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. She didn’t have to reach out to feel the growing anger in him. It didn’t reach the surface – his movements were calm and his eyes cold. Fear that it was entirely aimed at her was like hot coals on her skin. She drew away. He noticed, and straightened. His look was stern as he spoke.

“Keep me updated on anything you find out.” He pushed away from the counter, back towards the bridge.

“Captain.” Her voice was quiet, but he caught one of the handles along the wall and turned to face her. “I didn’t…” What was she trying to say? He waited. He was so angry. It felt like her collar was choking her. Her fingers were cold, and she looked at them, unable to face him a moment longer. “I didn’t do this.”

She waited. She was too afraid to look up. Too afraid to reach out. She squeezed her hands together but the cold remained.

She heard the exit door slide open. She looked up only to see his back as he went through the open door. She trailed behind fearing what his distrust could mean for her.