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“We should probably limit the shuttle to two of us and Opal,” I said. “Who'll come with me?”

My crewmates all looked at each other, then Lexarit spoke. “Narmuna is the most skilled of all of us at close-quarters combat and has already dealt with station administration. He should accompany you and Opal.”

“Close-quarters combat?” Opal said, her voice a little high. “Do you guys get into fights often?”

We all looked at her, but it was Narmuna who explained. “Humans are rare and precious. There are many who'd try to steal you from us.”

The line of her mouth flattened. “Like you stole me?”

“Yes, but we only did it because we want to take care of you,” Narmuna said. “We would never exploit you.”

Opal rolled her eyes, and I knew that meant she was annoyed or felt what Narmuna said was ridiculous.

“They even have human physiology on their unibase,” Narmuna said, not noticing the eyeroll.

I was surprised, but Opal didn't seem shocked. “When will we get there?”

“About half a rotation,” Narmuna said. “You should rest. The station is crowded and noisy. It will be a trial for you.”

“I think I can handle it,” she said, her tone dry.

Chapter 9

Opal

When Tolly warned me the shuttle wasn’t very large, he hadn’t exaggerated. It barely fit the three of us comfortably.

It was the type of shuttle that could act as a remote for a larger ship. Having the ability to leave a ship and still pilot it was essential for hauling loads as dangerous as fuel rods and rounds.

To accomplish that, this shuttle was outfitted with one full workstation and several displays attached to the walls that could act as workstations without the holo capability. It even had a small elimination room. But other than that, there was no spare space!

They hadn’t even bothered putting in seats. We all sat on the floor, although Tolly had brought a few pillows for me.

In theory, I could see how they’d get four of them inside, but they’d literally be shoulder to shoulder with limbs probably constantly bumping into each other.

“They’re having us dock in one of their repair bays,” Narmuna said. He was piloting the shuttle while Tolly and I sat behind him. “I warned that we have a delicate human with us, and they assured me there isn’t much going on in the bay and nothing that would be harmful to Opal.”

I didn’t point out that I used to work in a repair bay doing all kinds of the most dangerous jobs. I had a feeling that would only upset them, and I didn’t feel like listening to their angry rattles.

It wasn’t long before we were passing through the dock’s ion shielding and landing. A control arm grabbed the shuttle, and we were placed in a corner of the bay.

Narmuna insisted on getting out first to verify it was safe for me, then Tolly and I followed him.

“I can’t believe they wouldn’t let me bring a dagger with me,” Narmuna grumbled.

Almost every station I’d ever been on had a strict no-weapons policy. That didn't stop visitors from sneaking them on or making them, but those were rare. Getting caught with a weapon would result in a heavy fine or sentencing someone to a forced work contract.

“Do Talin stations allow you to carry weapons?” I asked.

“No,” Tolly said. “But we wouldn’t need them on a Talin station.”

“Talins don’t commit crimes?” I asked. There were a few species with exceptionally lower crime rates, were these Talins one of them?

“They do, but it’s rare,” Tolly answered. “Usually crimes have to do with military or government misconduct.”

“Or stealing a human,” Narmuna said. “That’s becoming far more common. I think if there were more humans left unattended, that would be the highest number of crimes reported.”

I was so curious about that, but a Massoc walked up to us. Her uniform told me she was of high rank within the hospitality sector of the station.