Gami looked up from the console, “Here, Gex IV, it’s uninhabited, covered in dense jungle. We can lay low there until the heat dies down a bit.”

“Good work,” Eli said with a satisfied nod, “Tarl, take us there.”

The pilot acknowledged the order.

Anara stood up. From the featureless manikin face a nose, eye sockets, and a set of glamorous lips began to take shape. The last thing was the eyes, or at least engravings of them. They shone with intelligence, same as any other living being. Eli found that he was frozen, staring at the thing. The alien stood there, now with a face and false eyes, the facade of eyes that hid untold mysteries.

Savaa removed his ragged cloak. Under it, he wore a pair of bright orange overalls which sported several high-visibility strips. It was clear from the groupings of lose strings that he had cut the name tape and other identifying marks off. It looked like he had grabbed an old pair of shoes from a trash heap. Eli told him that they’d see if they had some better clothes for him. Gami got up and stepped out of the room.

The lush, 90s supermodel lips parted as Anara spoke, revealing a mouth full of perfect white teeth, “Savaa, that was brave, but you’ve revealed too much.”

Savaa looked at Anara, “My world is out of the way, isolated. It is unlikely that the crew of this ship knows about it. Besides, they challenged the inquisitors, it won’t be forgiven. Cutting a deal with them would be impossible.”

Eli looked at Savaa, “I liked the way you put him in his place. I noticed that you aren’t the same species.”

“Yes. Two different intelligent species are native to my home world. More have immigrated. It’s caused a lot of problems, at least until recently. Now, we are united under one faith.”

“And you’re an enemy of that faith,” Eli guessed.

“No.”

Gami on the com, “I’ve got no clue what she is. Seems to be amorphous, but with some limitations. Watch out for hidden attacks,” she came back in, “Eli, what about rooms for our guests?”

“Of course,” he said, “Follow me.”

They left the bridge and went to the cargo bay, where they retrieved the backpack, which turned out to belong to Anara. Then they entered the corridor that contained the passenger cabins.

Rotek grabbed hold of the bars and started shouting, “Help! They’ve imprisoned me! I’m innocent!” she began to cry, “They’re going to take me somewhere where I’ll be killed.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Eli proclaimed, “She’s a wanted criminal. We’re taking her back to her people so that she can stand trial.”

Rotek kept it up, “You have to help me! I’ll be killed!”

Gami removed her helmet and dropped it. Without word, she coldly drew a knife and stuck it to the side of her own neck. A few drops of red collected on the blade. Rotek stood there at the cell door, a belligerent expression on her face. Gami used her blood to draw something on the pirate’s forehead.

Eli shook his head and entered one of the unoccupied cabins. Anara and Savaa followed. Anara opened the pack and removed its contents, which were several machines, all of them about the size of a toaster, and several plastic bottles full of white powder. She sat these items down on the cabin’s desk.

One device looked like a shop light. The others were linked together to form a long box, with transparent panels on the top and sides. Several nozzles could be seen inside. The purple woman emptied one of the bottles into a port and turned the machine on. The nozzles began to spray. Eli supposed this was some kind of 3D printer.

The waxy women spoke, “I’ll need some basic vitamins and minerals, along with some time to recharge. My companion doesn’t have a food scanner.”

“We’ve got extras,” Eli informed her.

“What’s with the bird thing in the hall?”

“Guard.”

“The ones on the bridge, they’re brothers?”

“They all came from the same source. You want to share a cabin so that you can keep an eye on him?” he pointed at Savaa with his chin.

She looked toward the fugitive, “What do you think?”

“I’ll be fine on my own. Can I have a weapon?”

Eli gave them a little smile, “It is generally considered to be unwise to let the person you are protecting carry, but I’ve never been a stickler for the rules.”

“I’m fine with it,” Anara said, “But he needs the proper training.”

“That can be arranged.”

***

Rotek went into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror. Pure insanity in her firework eyes when she saw it. The voluptuous lips twisted into a maddened smile.

The thing that Gami had drawn on her forehead was the Gaaktar symbol for a million.

***

Cavalier entered the lower atmosphere of the primordial world. Jungle canopy stretched to the horizon in every direction. Smoke gently drifted from a distant volcano. A flock of large flying creatures glided on a jet stream.

Using the scanner to find a suitable spot, Tarl sat the ship down. The branches moved back into place, covering the ship in a shroud of foliage.

Eli, Savaa, Gami, and one of Tarl’s butar stepped out of the ship. Even though it looked to be about noon, it was still dark under the canopy. They didn’t spot any animals, but they were no doubt there. Savaa wore a pair of dark blue coveralls, which were without patches but had many pockets. He took bold steps in a new pair of combat boots, the military from which they came was unknown to Eli, who had purchased them as spares.

Gami put her helmet on and cloaked. Carbine in hand, she set out, explaining that she wanted to look around some.

They set up a folding table. Eli placed a simple gun belt, pistol, and several boxes of ammunition on it. Savaa picked up the belt and put it on, before removing it and making a few adjustments. Tarl set up a few empty cans as targets, while Eli told Savaa about the shield and its vulnerabilities.

Tarl returned. Eli picked up the weapon, a high-capacity handgun of Skoga design, a functional sidearm that only bore one decoration, the symbol of the Atlath empire.

“Always treat the weapon as if it is loaded, even when you know that it isn’t,” the ranger explained, “Only point it at something that you want to kill. Make sure that you avoid pointing it at friendlies, even in the heat of combat.”

“I get it, be safe,” Savaa said eagerly, “When do I get to shoot it?”

“In a minute,” Eli assured him, “You need to understand how it works first.”

Tarl stood there, watching with much amusement. Eli explained how the weapon functioned, describing the internal mechanisms. He described the way in which explosive forces were harnessed to fire the bullet, eject the spent cartridge, and load another round. He explained how the rifling in the barrel helped the projectile stay on course by imparting spin. Savaa listened, interested but displaying hints of impatience.