Vivi was stunned. “Why… would they… Why would they help me like this? I mean, just go out of their way and everything?”
“Oh, that’s just what they do. Hal and Ty were ACAS soldiers. Hal saw you were in trouble and stepped in. He hasn’t met a fight he would back down from.”
“Oh,” she nodded as the door opened and an unfamiliar face entered alongside Hal.
“Hi,” the brown-haired man said. “I’m Tyce Bernon, captain of the Loshad.”
“Vivi Valjean.” He reached out his hand and she shook it. His grip was firm, but gentle.
“I know you must have a lot of questions,” Ty began, “but let’s start with how much you remember.”
“I- I had just gotten to Jaleeth to look for work. I’m a tecker, and I decided to get the lay of the land.”
Ty nodded. “OK.”
“There were two guys in the bar that kept coming up to me, to see if I wanted to dance with them. I told them no, but they kept trying. Finally, I told them to piss off, but they still didn’t want to take no for an answer. I drank the rest of my drink before I realized it tasted different than the first two. That was when I fell out of the chair and the two guys were trying to drag me away. Then… Hal, here, came to help and–” She put a hand over her mouth. “Ohmygods. Did I throw up on you?” Her eyes went wide as she remembered what had happened.
Hal shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, shaking her head as her cheeks colored. “Who… Who do you think they were?” she asked, wondering for a moment if it could have been someone sent by her ex’s hacking group, Echo. But that’s stupid, right? Echo had no way of knowing where she was. She’d been careful to use scrilla, not her credit accounts. Of course, they could have hacked security cams. Hal’s next words interrupted her worries.
“They were most likely paid kidnappers,” Hal replied. “Guys like that comb the stations all the time for females fresh off the boats from the Inner Spiral. Probably to sell to the black-market brothels on Dela Prime.” Vivi paled at the very mention of the planet’s name. Everyone knew that Dela Prime was a place where the laws of the Coalition simply did not apply. In fact, the planet was reputed to be the nexus of all crime in the Spiral. “Oh my gods,” she breathed.
“Shit, I’m sorry.” Hal said. “I didn’t mean to say it so bluntly.”
“No. It’s OK.” She shook her head. “I guess it means I really do owe you guys my life.” She laid her head back, feeling dizzy again.
“We’re not concerned with that,” Ty said. “You can rest easy enough on our ship. Those guys won’t be looking for you again.”
“That big guy won’t be looking at anything until the swelling goes down,” Hal smirked, getting up to go. Once again, Vivi seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open.
“See you in the morning, Miss Valjean,” Ty replied.
She nodded as they left.
“Night cycle lighting,” Beryl said, and the room lights dimmed to a watery glow. “I’m going to let you get some more sleep, kid.”
Vivi looked around the darkened room nervously, but the older woman reassured her with a warm smile. “If you need me, just let Runa know. I’m right down the hall.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling the blanket up as Beryl adjusted her bed for sleeping.
“You’re very welcome.”
The next morning Ty was up early. He located the coffee and set up a pot to brew because he knew the crew would need it and he was the closest thing to a morning person on the ship.
Their guest was next to enter the galley. She was dressed in a light blue tee and black pants. It was obvious she’d washed up and changed before coming to look for someone.
“Back on your feet, I see,” Ty said with a smile. He turned to retrieve two stainless steel mugs from a cabinet. “Want some coffee?”
“Oh my gods, yes,” she nodded, eagerly taking the mug from him. He poured and she added sugar. It was wonderful. “Ohhh… I needed that.”
“Yeah, me too,” Ty said, gesturing to the table. “Let’s sit down a minute.”
She followed him to a seat. “So. What do you guys do? Go around rescuing people in trouble?”
Ty shrugged. “Whatever the universe throws at us. Are you in trouble, Miss Valjean?”
She looked down into her mug. “You can call me Vivi.”
“OK, Vivi.” His question hung there for long moments until she looked back up.
“I- I was in trouble, but I solved my own problem. It was… He was just… He was someone who wasn’t who I thought he was. That’s all.” Ty nodded slowly, and she went on. “That’s why I’m out here. Starting over. Finding a job, then a place to stay.”
“You’re from the Inner Spiral?” Ty observed.
“Yeah,” she nodded, “but I have experience as a tecker. In uni, I interned at a shipyard and worked on ship’s systems, and later with a security firm. I was hoping to find a job with one of the technology firms on Jaleeth or Omicron Station.”
“I have a friend that works at TechSolutions on Omicron. We could introduce you,” Ty said. “Or, if you’re interested, I thought you might consider working with us?” He had intended on asking her more questions, but her easy manner made him go ahead and toss the offer out there.
She looked up at him. “Working with you?”
“Hal, Beryl and I are salvagers. We go out past the Border to look for Mudar tech and allenium. There’s debris from crashed and destroyed ships all over the Border planets from the Mudar war a century ago. Just recently, about the past ten years, they’ve opened it for salvage. Only certified teams can go out there and we’re one of them; we get our permits through LanTech. Our tecker – Lucas – left about a year ago and we’ve had trouble finding a replacement. The last guy we tried didn’t even make it out of spacedock.”
“Yeah?” she asked. “Why? Is the job really hard?”
“No.” Ty thought for a moment before replying. “It’s Hal. I mean, he doesn’t always get along with everyone. Let’s just say it’s been… difficult finding the right fit.”
She nodded. “You guys are both ex-military, right?” she asked, remembering what Beryl had said to her about their past.
“We are. Hal is a–” He was unsure if she had noticed Hal’s vat tattoo. “Hal was my sergeant during our time in the service. He’s a vat.” He watched her carefully to see how she handled the information. “Would that be a problem or make a difference?” If she were intolerant of vats, the issue was decided, and he would drop her back on Jaleeth.
Her green eyes were thoughtful, but he detected no hint of prejudice there. “No, why would it be?” she asked.
“Just making sure.” Ty replied with relief. “Some people – especially those from the Inner Spiral – don’t care for vats, you know.”
“That’s not me,” she said simply. “Hal saved me. I owe him.”
Ty nodded thoughtfully, giving her time to consider her next move.