Page 103 of Tethered

“I’m sorry to interrupt—”

Kit’s image freezes and Beau’s voice filters through the observation deck.

“Err, Cap, something really weird just happened. A ship has been flagging us since Novus. It’s private. I just allowed their comms through, figuring I might take something off your plate, and they... well, you’d better listen to this.”

Tanisira’s face darkens. “Go ahead.”

Captain Sekmith, this is theSecuritas IVordering theMidasto stand by immediately for docking. If you don’t heed this order, we’ll be forced to take measures.

My jaw drops.

Tanisira’s expression has only become more furious. “Donotrespond. I’m coming.”

She takes off, steps like hammer strikes. Without even thinking about it, I follow her to the bridge, trailed by Kit.

“When did this message come through?” Tanisira asks.

“A few minutes ago,” Beau replies, tapping away in the background.

“You said they’ve been hailing us since Novus?”

“Well,” Beau hesitates. “They’ve beentailingus. I checked the logs, and they’ve been in our wake since yesterday, but they hadn’t tried to make contact until now.”

Tanisira swears an impressive blue streak. If my stomach weren’t in my boots, I might have been impressed. “What do you know about the ship?” She barks.

“It’s owned by a private security company. Nothing else of much use; whoever they are, they’ve got the money to keep it on the low.”

“Don’t do anything until I get to the bridge.”

She’s walking so fast that I have to trot, but she’s aware of my presence, and as the door to the bridge sweeps open, she catches my eye. There’s regret there, and worry. For us? Or for this situation?

“Find a seat, strap yourself in. Make sure Vee is secure too. We might have to outrun this ship.”

And then she’s off, striding towards Beau, who looks frazzled and guilty. Vee stands just to their right, eyes wide with excitement. He thinks this is fun, but I can feel the tension in the air. The uncertainty is potent, and anxiety wells up in my stomach.

“Come on,” I murmur in Vee’s ear. “Let’s get strapped into one of these stations.”

“But, Mum—”

“You’ll still be able to see what’s happening. They need some space for this; they don’t think that ship’s friendly.”

Vee purses his mouth, contemplative, and it makes him look so mature. His expression becomes wry. “Just so you know, I’m qualified to deal with this situation, but I’ll let them handle it.”

I’m laughing as I usher him to one of the empty seats, taking the one beside him. We fall into silence quickly, though, focusing on the trio on the bridge. Kit stands to the side, dutifully waiting for when she’ll be needed. Beau wrings their hands, looking the most uneasy I’ve ever seen them. Making concise movements as she swipes through data, Tanisira is not someone to fuck with.

“—message so vague.” She scowls. “They could be anyone. Do they really expect us to let them board?”

“And why only send comms now?” Beau adds.

Tanisira folds her arms, glaring ahead as she thinks. There’s a beat or two of silence, and then she goes preternaturally still. “They were waiting for orders.”

The two look at each other.

“Bounty hunters?” Beau asks with dawning dread.

“Surya-ki laash,” Tanisira hisses. “Julian and Maximus.”

She’s moving before I’ve even processed it. Everyone’s ordered to secure themselves. Tanisira and Beau strap into their stations. Kit is given a mouthful of instructions. The bridge is swamped with a stifling silence before it suddenly sounds like a thousand engines are whirring to life around us.