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We could be anywhere. Literally anywhere in the universe.

My stomach clenched at the thought, but I didn't let it show. I'd spent too many years mastering the art of appearing in control, especially when everything was falling apart.

"Are we going to die out here?" Morgan asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I turned to her, making sure to meet her eyes. "No. We have life support, power, and oxygen. Not to mention plenty of Drexian ration packs.”

"That's not exactly a ringing endorsement of our situation."

Despite everything, I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. Morgan always had a way of cutting through tension with unexpected humor.

"Let me assess the damage," I said, turning my attention back to the console as multiple systems continued flashing warnings. "The primary navigation is fried, but the secondary systems should keep us afloat."

I tapped through screens, hoping to find something, anything recognizable. The readouts were disheartening. Our jump drive was offline, our communications were damaged, and our navigation systems were compromised. We had life support, one thruster, and some weapons, but little else.

Morgan leaned closer, her shoulder pressing against mine as she studied the screens. "Should we send out a distress signal?"

The question gave me pause. A distress signal was standard protocol for a stranded ship, but nothing about our situation was standard.

"I'm not sure that's wise," I replied, weighing our options. "We don't know where we are, or who might receive it. Could be Drexians, could be allies…

“Could be Kronock."

"Precisely." I pushed back from the console. "I need to check the relay panels in the rear compartment. They're our best chance of restoring navigation and communication."

"I'll try to determine our position from the star patterns," Morgan offered. "If I can identify even a single constellation, we might be able to triangulate our location."

I nodded, impressed by her quick thinking. Morgan didn't wallow in fear. She solved problems. It was what made her such a promising Assassin.

And possibly, an exceptional Shadow, I reminded myself.

I left her gazing at the stars as I strode back to the relay panel. The damage was worse than I'd hoped but not irreparable. I pulled out the toolkit stored beneath the panel and got to work, removing the damaged pieces one by one.

As I worked, my mind kept returning to Morgan. She’d had awakened something protective in me that I hadn't felt in as long as I could remember. Shadows were taught to prioritize the mission above all else, including personal attachments. Yet here I was, more concerned about her safety than my mission.

I was halfway through replacing a fried circuit board when I heard Morgan joining me.

"Tiv."

Something in her voice made me stop working immediately. I turned to face her, and the expression on her face sent a chill through me.

"What is it?" I asked, setting down my tools.

Morgan held up a data pad, her hands trembling slightly. "I've been analyzing the star patterns visible through the viewport."

"And?"

She took a deep breath. "None of them match any known configurations near the academy. Not even close."

I felt my carefully maintained composure crack just slightly. "So, we’re nowhere near or target destination?"

"It doesn’t look like it. I've checked three times. We’re not within jump range of Drex."

"We could be closer to your solar system,” I suggested hopefully.

She nodded slowly. "Or we could be beyond the charted sectors. Way beyond."

The implications of that were too dire to contemplate. If we were too far from known space, no rescue would be coming. No distress signal would reach friendly ears. We would drift until our supplies ran out, or until some unknown entity discovered us.