Rotek sat on the floor of her cell, glaring at the bird that watched her from the other side of the bars. There seemed to be two of them, which took shifts guarding her. But sometimes they were both absent. That was very good. Maybe she could find a brief window where she could escape.

Someone appeared in front of her cell. It was the woman that he had seen before. One of the passengers that Eli had taken aboard. Rotek had heard someone address her as Anara.

Those people in the red armor had asked her about the newcomers when they boarded the ship. Eli had managed to get himself into even more trouble. The more people that hunted him, the fewer options he had. Sooner or later, someone would get him. All she had to do was talk them into letting her out of her cell.

Anara had changed her appearance. Now, a pair of short horns stuck out of her forehead. These were seemingly made out of some kind of crystal. Rotek noticed that her fingers were a bit longer than before. And she had made a make on one of her wrists. No, she had shifted her skin so that area sank in to form a shape. The translator said that it was a symbol for good fortune.

So, this being was at least partially amorphous, interesting.

“I don’t suppose that you’re here to let me out?” the pirate asked, keeping her smartassed tone at a tolerable level.

“I was just curious to meet you,” the woman said with a friendly smile, “They told me that you’re an infamous pirate with a large bounty on your head.”

“So, I’m infamous now!” Rotek purred.

“That’s an interesting thing to take pride in.”

“In my line of work, infamy is a beloved thing, just as valuable as treasure, speed, and firepower.”

“Those are strange priorities.”

“It’s better to be strange than ordinary.”

“Fair enough.”

A devious idea suddenly formed in Rotek’s mind, “You know, they want to turn me in for a big bounty,” she said in a prideful tone.

“Is that so?” Anara mused.

“Yes, more than enough to buy your own ship.”

There, the seed had been planted. Only time would tell if it grew to maturity. If she was able to plant enough of them, one would certainly blossom, and she would be free again.

***

In the dining area on Cavalier, Anara sat with the crew of the ship. A bowl of raw minerals sat in front of her. Every now and then, she would dip her fingers into the bowl and absorb some of them.

Eli looked uncertainly at a hard green bar, which had a plastic appearance. He took a little bite out of it, announced that it tasted like a mouthful of chewable vitamins washed down with a swig of cheap beer. Then he quickly finished the rest of the bar.

“Anara,” Tarl began, “You said that you are a priestess. I am a scholar of religion. Please, tell me about your faith.”

She took a long time to answer, long enough that those that were present wondered if she would object, “I worship a god that was born from the union of a war demoness and a deity who built the castles and palaces of the god-king’s highest lords and generals. My god strikes the anvil and produces the black steel of Angamar,” her words began to change, as if she was under the influence of something, “My god accepts sacrifices on altars made of stone taken from the depths of a stagnant, waveless ocean on a dead moon. My god rides a chariot across the midnight sky, casting aside the stars,” now she sounded a bit deranged, “My god slashes and stabs his way across endless battlefields. He is the patron of those that defend and shape the crystals. And he will make all who oppose the will of the universes atone!”

Tarl sat in wide eyed wonder. Gami watched her intently, her head turned downward and a bit to one side. Eli smiled ever so slightly, took a sip and wiped his mouth with his prosthetic hand.

Anara seemed to come out of whatever altered state she had slipped into, “I knew from the first moment I felt the temple that I had found my calling. Even as they all betrayed me, I still had the one who wanders the dark places and lights the fires of the desperate.”

Tarl looked at the table, “It’s funny,” his tone said that it wasn’t, “I’ve never felt God. Things from certain religions have had meaning to me. But I’ve never actually had what I would call a religious experience.”

“It will happen,” Gami assured him

“Have you?”

“I’m on a sparsely settled world, fourth planet from a sun that sputters and flickers. It is so cold it is painful. I stand atop a plateau at night. The moons flash and blink as the weak sun struggles. I watch as a massive storm blows in.”

“And you felt god in that moment?” Tarl questioned.

“Yes, but I think I’d say that I felt a deep connection to the universes, to all of infinity.”

“Incredible. What about you, Eli?” Tarl asked.

He was a bit slow to answer, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

No one pushed it. The room went quiet for a few long minutes.

Tarl suddenly sat up, “Got something on the scanner. It’s a Coalition patrol ship. I think they spotted us. They’re closing in fast.”

“Do we have any chance of outrunning them?” Eli asked Tarl.

“Not in the shape that we’re in,” he said flatly.

Eli turned to the others, “Anyone got any bounties on their head that they’ll be interested in?”

No one said anything.

“Anyone have anything in their quarters that they’ll object to? Anything illegal in the armory?”

Again, no one spoke up.

Tarl finally said something, “The patrol ship just contacted us. They want to come aboard for what they’re calling a routine check.”

After a few seconds, the captain gave an order, “Stop the ship. Tell them that they are welcome aboard.”