Page 38 of Dark Space

Willow stood, and had a murmured conversation with the Roth about needing another drip. The Roth was reluctant to let Willow go to the surgery, but offered to fetch what he needed. I snuggled down in my blanket as they spoke, watching Vesper, who was watching me straight back, his jaw tight.

I smiled tiredly at him. ‘How’s everybody’s favourite intergalactic thief today?’

Vesper leaned forward, then stretched so he could touch my foot. ‘I –’ he began, then frowned, looking past the Roth. ‘What in the worlds?’ he said.

‘Vesp –’

An alarm began to blare.

The Roth’s eyes widened. ‘Brace,’ he snarled.

Willow threw himself over the bed, pinning me in place. Vesper gave an angry shout, but it was cut off by the sound of a giantboom.

My father always announcedhimself with friendly fire.

It wasn’t his worst habit, but itwasmy least favourite.It keeps soldiers on their toes, he told me once, like every being wasn’t already balancing on the very tips when my father was in the same galaxy.

What’s wrong with a livecast?I wanted to say.

I never did.

The screen in my room flickered to life. The only person who had higher access than me to my ship’s security was my father; he could activate anything he wanted from a distance.

I went cold when he appeared.

My father was a brute. Most Roth had horns that curled backwards; his curledforwards, making face-to-face conversation a dangerous game. I’d seen him take a soldier’s eye out on more than one occasion. His expression was set intoa near-permanent sneer, even when he smiled, and he never retracted his second row of teeth, giving the impression that he was always ready to bite.

When I looked in the mirror, I saw his wide black eyes looking back at me; I hated it more than I hated anything else about him.

‘Majesty,’ I said, bowing.

‘Whelp,’ he said by way of greeting. ‘Whatareyou doing?’

I’d been rifling through my uniforms to find something we could tear apart and sew back together for Anna. ‘Cleaning,’ I said shortly.

‘And your ship’s status?’

‘Everything is as it should be.’ I breathed shallowly, trying to keep my heartbeat even.

‘Then why can I not contact Dainn?’

‘You can’t?’ I pretended surprise. ‘I have not seen him today, but he has been running bloodwork at my request. Perhaps he simply missed your screencast. You know how he gets.’

‘How long has he been running bloodwork?’

I gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘Some days.’

My father studied me with narrowed eyes. ‘Days, you say. Interesting.’

‘Is it?’

‘Well, yes,’ he said, ‘given that you threw his body out the airlock last week.’

I froze.

My father snorted derisively. ‘You think he didn’t contact me the moment your pilot brought that alien on board? You think I am not tapped into my own son’s systems? You think I did not watch you slay my advisor – myfriend– and bring that Tirian onto the orb?’ The King shook his head. ‘You become more disappointing every day.’

My stomach sank.