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Vic folded her arms across her chest, trying not to smirk. “She could be bumped while crossing a bar, Deets.”

“Vic’s right.” Tiny reached out to sense her changed surroundings and encountered his hands, arms, shoulders, and neck. She clung to him while she rocked onto her knees, her face in line with his, and her lips but a breath away from his chin.

“Why the farg would she go to a bar? The men there are assholes.” Dieter leaped to his feet and scooped Tiny into his arms. “Stop giving her these ideas, Vic. You’re done. This is…done.”

Smirking, Vic waited until Dieter’s footsteps faded, wishing she could eavesdrop on the conversation to follow. She’d been right. He did care. The good old jealousy trick had worked.

Dusting her hands, she sauntered out of the gym to the airlock. Time to get to the boring part of the day. She chuckled. Peaceful was what she meant. After suiting up, she holstered her blaster, tucked an all-tool into her belt, and pressed the button. “Computer, activate tether.”

“Tether activated, Vic.” The thump on her back confirmed the successful attachment.

She vaulted out, caught the edge of the door, and clicked her heels, landing with a gentle thud-thud before striding to the bow of the ship. Each inch by quadrant had to be checked. Some days, when she finished early, she’d find a ledge to sit on and stare into the endless ocean of stars.

Today, she tightened a loose panel, exchanged a few fuses, and informed the computer of a busted light.

Then she squatted and ran her gaze across the galaxies.

There was something timeless about it all.

She was but a speck of dust and as meaningless.

Often ships traveled near enough for her to read their branding.

Unless it was military, then a moving void marked their passing.

This ship was closer than usual, painted a bright red instead of sleek gray.

When the Carne logo blazoned, she gasped and snapped to her magnetized feet.

Nikko was manning the bridge, surely he wouldn’t ping Carne in greeting?

She leaped across the Mula Pesada’s side, sticking to the shadows while aiming for the airlock.

Adrenaline and the deafening roar of panic masked the fear of her boots not sticking.

“Computer, patch me through to Nikko.” She huffed as she tried to jump farther, her momentum hindered by the catch and release of her boots and the tether whipping behind her.

“Patch complete.”

As she rounded the aft, Nikko answered, “What’s up, Vic?”

“We have a not-so-nice ship passing by. Don’t ping it, don’t hail it, just let it fly by.”

Nikko paused. “Is it military?”

She hesitated. Why would Nikko worry about a military vessel? “Worse. It’s Carne.”

“So? They often do pleasure cruises to the moons of Jupiter.” He laughed, but it sounded odd, as if he was trying for casual. “Besides, if we don’t ping them, they might think it curious.”

She winced. “What do you normally do?”

“Ping away.”

“Farg, first get Grunt to hide my details and life marker, Nikko. I’m on my way and will explain it all.

” She slipped into the airlock and hit the depressurize button, waiting those precious seconds for the door to seal and air to return.

As soon as she could, she unclipped the tether, flipped her visor back, and ran.

“Am I hidden?” she asked the second she careened onto the bridge.

“Yup, now spill.” Nikko leaned his ass on the console and folded his arms across his chest.

She tugged off the helmet. “I’m Victorious, former champion of the Carne Ring.”

Nikko scoffed.

“Picture me with red hair and eyes.” She waved a gloved hand across her face. “Whether you believe me or not, it doesn’t matter. They wanted me to serve more time. I refused.”

“If what you claim is true, you won the deca-match and your freedom.”

She had been so na?ve, believing that was all she needed to do. “If I owe them, I serve.”

“What debt could you have incurred?” He straddled the chair and rested his arms along the back, spinning it side-to-side as if she was telling him an entertaining story.

“They caused an accident that took my arm and leg, then replaced both with cybernetics. State of the art, so expensive that there was no way I would ever be able to repay them.”

He paused in mid-swing and ran his gaze over her. “What did you do, Vic? What aren’t you telling me?”

“I may have pretended to kill their representative.” She shrugged, remembering peering out the shattered window to the balcony below. The poor man’s legs were twisted into odd angles.

“Farg, you’re not kidding, are you?” Nikko tapped on the console, summoning past arena wins.

Her face dominated the screens, confirming her words.

Swearing a blue streak, he slammed his fist into his palm.

“What the farg? I should’ve been told.” He glanced at her, his expression hardening.

“You were right to warn me. We don’t want trouble with Carne.

” He worked the keys—their colors lighting like a fireworks display.

“We got your back, Vic.” He tossed a tight smile her way, though, not quite meeting her gaze.

“Says here,” he tapped the console, “you found a broken light. Can’t have that.

Best fix it, before Dieter shows you how to work the ice riggers.

” Nikko hitched his thumb to the outside of the ship.

“Once you’ve mastered the riggers, you can spend the day as you see fit. ”

Relief soaked her, and she allowed her shoulders to slump.

“I’m just going to have a little chat with the captain,” he gritted out.

She grabbed her helmet. “Thanks, Sarg, for listening and saving my ass.” If he lied about hiding her and Carne boarded the Mula Pesada , she’d be ready.

“Anytime,” he called, his focus once more on the console.

Striding to the storeroom, she hummed a jaunty tune that might have been Ande’s theme song at one point.

She found the required light fixture and returned to the airlock.

Clutching the part between her thighs, she checked the oxygen in her suit, clipped the helmet in place, and slid the visor closed.

Once the computer attached the tether, she smacked the button to open the door.

Out on the ship, she strolled to the light and replaced it.

With the broken part in hand, she took giant steps, leaping across the back of the ship to the aft.

She was eager to learn about riggers, imagining them to be like a forklift meets a crane.

Red arrows marked the location of the airlock.

Catching the tether in hand, she swung, using it to launch herself over the edge of the ship and into the airlock.

Except when she vaulted off, a tug across her back jarred her, and a sickening sense of dread poured ice through her veins. Glancing over her shoulder, she gaped at the retracting tether while she traveled out to space, past the ship, and the gaping maw of the airlock.

“Computer, emergency.” Her panting peppered the silence. “Farg, Nikko, Dieter, someone?” With a scream, she tried to slow her trajectory, scrambling or swimming like a frog. A frenzied laugh rose to choke her. “A week on the job, I die by accident?”

Or was it? Why would this happen after she revealed who she was to Nikko?

Here she’d hoped he’d forgiven her for how they’d met, put it behind them.

Farg it, she should have known better. It was too late for recriminations.

Hindsight more than kicked her ass. The box-like ship in its rust metals grew smaller the farther away she traveled.

Not even Carne’s ship was in sight. At least she was close to the shipping lanes, right?

She slapped her wrist, hoping to activate the smart band through the thick suit. “Drafe?”

Silence.

She swallowed a sob, then forced herself to calm.

Wasting oxygen was foolish. Tiny or Dieter would notice she was missing.

Farg. Farg. Farg. She should have stayed with Drafe and let the Mula Pesada leave Lunar Base.

Another wave of tears leaked, forming droplets to float away then splatter against her visor.

The blurring of her vision urged her to wail at the unfairness of it all.

She’d always believed she was a survivor. Never had she thought she would die by asphyxiation.

Closing her eyes, she quietened her breathing, heartbeat, and riotous emotions. Someone would find her. They had to. She refused to die this way.