“I think they are protected in the Valovian Empire. The FHP had a shit fit when I told them I was keeping her, but after I showed them how I’d tried to return her to her natural habitat, multiple times, without success, they relented. Still, I would appreciate it if you didn’t advertise her presence.”

Anja nodded. “Of course.”

I led Anja back out into the hallway and Luna came along for the ride. “Might as well do a quick tour while we’re here. I’ll stop by the galley to feed this little mischief-maker, then we’ll carry boxes. Sound good?”

When Anja agreed, I pointed at the two doors across the hall from mine. “Kee and Eli. They’re both enjoying their last day of sleeping in, so I’ll introduce you later. Kee is my systems engineer and Eli is my first officer. If you need anything while on board, either of them can help you.”

This end of the hallway led to the bridge, so I started there and worked my way through the ship. We stopped in the galley to feed Luna. We left her with her food and continued with the tour. The ship had three levels, with the main level at the top.

The main level contained the crew quarters, bridge, galley, and garden. The middle level housed the medbay, gym, and rec room. The bottom level was the maintenance level with all of the mechanical systems that kept us alive and flying.

The gym took up around 40 percent of the middle level. Strength and flexibility made bounty hunting easier and burning off excess energy was good for mental health out in deep space. I had installed multiple cardio and resistance stations, and there was a large open space with a padded floor that we used for stretching and hands-on combat training.

The rec room was as large as the gym, but the room was divided into smaller spaces with lightweight, movable half walls. Comfortable furniture in various groupings gave everyone a place to relax and unwind, either alone or together. We spent a lot of time here, watching vids, reading, and just quietly hanging out together.

The last stop on the middle level was the medbay. It was relatively small, with four beds and an autostabilization unit. We didn’t have a dedicated doctor, but Eli, Kee, and I had all had extensive first aid and trauma training.

“Is that a third-gen autostab?” Anja asked, using the shortened name we’d all picked up in the service. When I confirmed, she whistled under her breath. “No wonder the rest of your ship is in need of repair, all of your money is in here.”

She wasn’t wrong. The tech was incredibly expensive. But when medical help was sometimes days or weeks away, an autostab could be the difference between life and death. It was worth it not to watch another friend die.

“Have you had to use it?”