The ship’s little dining area was crowded. Everyone but Anara was present. Each person used their food scanner on the meat. They found that it was safe, and after thanking Gami for killing the beast and Eli for preparing it, they chowed down. Eli thought that it tasted like chicken. Gami took Rotek one of the steaks and came back to eat.

The view out of the window was of dark, foreboding jungle. Only the deep ocean could hide more secrets and conceal more monstrosities.

“How did you like shooting, Savaa?” Gami asked.

“I enjoyed it.”

“Target practice can be a lot of fun, but just remember: it isn’t as fun when someone is shooting back at you.”

“I understand. Some things aren’t a game. I get it. Remember, I made it all the way to Akanti. I’m not an idiot.”

“Didn’t say that you were. I apologize if I came off that way.”

“It’s okay, I’m used to being put down. Maybe I assumed too much.”

“How long have you been imprisoned?”

“Twelve years. Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure,” Tarl cut in, “Speaking of guns, I can only use the smaller ones. It’s a bit frustrating.”

“I bet it is,” Savaa observed, “Why aren’t your brothers here?”

“My brothers? Oh, ya, they are maintaining the ship, monitoring the scanners. I’ll make sure that they get some meat too.”

“Oh. I had a friend growing up. His sisters drove him crazy.”

“Siblings have a tendency to do that to each other,” Eli stated.

“And how did you meet each other?” Savaa asked.

“Well, me and Gami teamed up to hunt down a violent criminal. We met Tarl, and his brothers, when we fell into the same trap that they did. We wouldn’t have gotten out of their if it wasn’t for him, them.”

“Oh hell!” Tarl exclaimed, “Why are we hiding it from him? I get why we’re keeping it from the prisoner. Gives us an advantage. But him?”

“What?” Savaa asked, puzzled.

“The bodies in the cockpit aren’t my brothers. They are me. I’m a being that has more than one body.”

Savaa looked confused, “I don’t understand.”

“I have a primary body that controls several other bodies at once.”

“The universe is strange.”

“Universes,” Tarl corrected, “There are several dimensions that we know of.”

Savaa looked truly shocked. This expression only got more and more pronounced as the possibilities started to dawn on him.

Eli nodded his head appreciatively, “I know the feeling. Somehow, the cosmos was bigger than I thought it was. You’ll get used to it.”

Savaa looked toward Gami, “Where’d you get that armor?”

Gami seemed perfectly willing to answer, “Had it custom made by an artist.”

“An artist?”

Gami smiled, “Well, an artist in the area of body armor.”

“How much did it cost?”

“A lot. I had to bring in several big-time criminals to earn this.”

“And what does that tattoo mean, the one under your eye?”

“Bayhi,” Gami said, “It is an ancient system of martial arts. The fact that I was allowed to learn it was the greatest honor I’ve ever been given.”

Savaa nodded in the same way that a human being would, ate another piece, pointed at Eli, “How did you get those scars on the side of your head?”

Everyone other than the young being chuckled softly. Eli replied, “It was an IED.”

“A what?”

“An Improvised Explosive Device, a homemade bomb. The enemy planted them on the sides of the roads.”

“Who was the enemy?”

“A mixture of religious fanatics and people that were mad about us invading their country. Looking back on it, I’m not really sure how I feel about things.”

“You regret being in the military?”

Eli stared at his food, “I don’t know. Maybe the military, maybe just that war. It changes day to day. I joined right out of high school. I just had to get away, you know?”

“I think I understand. Why do you have that brand, those tattoos? What does that mean, ‘War slave, most dangerous grade, susceptible to conversion?’”

Gami and Tarl chewed uncomfortably.

Eli spoke in an even tone, “The Sad’Daki did it when they captured me.”

“The Sad’Daki, I’ve heard of them. Some big group, right?”

“They are one of the major powers,” Gami interjected, “There are a few big alliances that might be able to fend them off. But the only thing that can really challenge them is the Atlath Empire.”

“They are the greatest evil in existence,” Eli began, “They enslave those that they conquer. The only thing that will make them stop is when they perfect their magick.”

“Magick?” Savaa wondered.

“Yes, summoning minions from other dimensions. It’s the perfect plan.”

“It sounds like propaganda,” Gami observed.

“No, believe me, it’s real. I’ve seen them, killed them.”

“It doesn’t make sense. Why bother with some insane nonsense?”

“Think about it. Can’t use robots, even they wouldn’t violate the universal taboo. Slaves must be taken care of, kept in line, and they’re bad for optics. A summoner can raise an army from nothing. No need to transport, house, or feed them.”

“It would explain their recent successes. How will the Skoga counter it?”

 “Who says that they can? They don’t have to disposition to do their own experiments, and they’re years behind if they did.”

“Let’s talk about something else,” Tarl suggested, “How we are gonna get to the Funhouse? The fastest route is through Coalition space.”

“Who?” Eli asked.

“The Coalition of the Independent States. It’s a loose confederation of smaller governments. They aren’t necessarily hostile, but I’d still like to avoid them.”

“What are their capabilities?”

“A few fleets, a sizeable patrol force.

“Do you think that we can make it through, or should we go around?”

“We don’t have enough fuel to go the long way.”

“Then we’ll have to risk it. With the long-range scanner, we can avoid them.”

“And if we can’t?”

Eli grinned, “Then we improvise.”

“Improvising isn’t a plan. It’s like running, it’s what you do when your plan fails or you didn’t have one to begin with.”

“Fine, the plan is to be as cordial as possible with them. Maybe we can offer our services.”

“It’s a possibility,” Tarl mused, “I’ve run cargo for them before, supplies for the levies at one of their outposts.”

Eli turned to Savaa, “Not to pry, but do you know if they’ll extradite you?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know,” he stared at his food, “I don’t know a lot about that sort of thing.”

“It’s no problem.

The sparse light that managed to pierce the canopy was suddenly shut off completely. Everyone jumped up. Eli got close to the window, failed to see anything in the darkness. Gami bolted out of the room.

“They decloaked right on top of us!” Tarl shouted.