The security liaison and her entourage stopped at the bottom of the cargo ramp. She was a bit younger than me, perhaps in her late twenties. Her brown hair was pulled back into a severe bun. Her eyes flickered over Torran and Eli before landing on me. “Octavia Zarola?”

“Yes?”

“Security footage from this morning revealed that you are harboring a dangerous fugitive. Turn over Anja Harbon immediately or face sanctions.”

I sighed in frustration. The universe owed me a good turn, but today wasn’t my day. “What is she accused of?”

The woman blinked. “It is none of your concern.”

“I disagree. Anja is my mechanical engineer. As her captain, I have the right to demand details as well as proof of a crime.”

That earned me a sneer. “She is a traitor. If you refuse to hand her over, you will share her fate.”

“Why don’t you tell the truth: she’s being shadow banned because the station master’s wife failed to mention that she was married, and the station master is pissed and trying to save face by punishing someone who doesn’t have the political power to protect herself.”

The security liaison went livid. Bright red color bloomed in her pale cheeks and her hands fisted. Behind her, the guards shifted restlessly.

Next to me, Torran stood statue-still, but I could feel the power swirling around him. I couldn’t explain how exactly, but it felt angry, much like it had earlier when he’d found out about Luna. Hopefully that anger was directed at the security liaison or the station master, because if not, we were going to have a real problem.

Eli shot me an exasperated look before turning a blinding smile on the security liaison. “I’m sure this is all just a little misunderstanding,” he coaxed, smile still firmly in place. “Why don’t we discuss it in private?”

She blinked and swayed slightly before steeling her spine. “There is nothing to discuss. Turn over the fugitive immediately.”

Captains had a lot of autonomy on their own ships, even when those ships were parked in a station’s landing bay. She couldn’t force me to turn over Anja because the station didn’t have any proof of a real crime. But she could force me to leave and Torran’s crew wasn’t back yet. “I’ve yet to see any evidence against her. Come back when you have some and we’ll talk.”

“If you refuse to cooperate, then your docking authorization is revoked, as is all future station access. Leave immediately. If you delay or return, you will be arrested.”

“While I would be very happy to leave your station behind, I am waiting on additional crew.”