There were two approaches to safety in space: a plethora of visible weapons or none at all. The first option was the one most captains used. I didn’t know if the Valoffs had to deal with pirates or not, but human pirates were less likely to try to take a ship with better weapons.

The second option required a lot of mettle because pirates would try to take it on the off chance that it was actually unarmed. If a captain wanted to hunt pirates, they would hide their weapons. And while a diplomatic registration might smooth the way on stations and at checkpoints, it just made a ship a more interesting target in the black.

Fighting pirates was a risk that took time and paid nothing, so Starlight fairly bristled with visible weapons. Our current route was reasonably safe, so combined with our weaponry, I hoped it would be enough to keep us off the menu until we reached Bastion. If it wasn’t, then I hoped Lotkez knew how to fight because I would absolutely leave them behind to fend for themselves.

Unless Torran wanted to pay me an additional fee to protect them.

I laughed to myself. Maybe pirates wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The door to the bridge slid open, and knowing who it had to be, guilt wormed its way through my system. Wishing ill on someone just so I could make a profit wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be, no matter who the targets were. We were no longer at war with the Valovian Empire. I needed to remember that.

I stood and met Torran’s gaze. He had changed out of his armor. A quick glance showed that civilian clothes suited him. He wore black pants, a dark gray shirt, and heavy boots. Muscles that had been obscured by the armor were now apparent.

And he had a lot of them.

He wasn’t bulky like Eli, but he had defined arms, a sculpted chest, and a flat belly. He had far more muscles than any general should, considering his job was to sit behind a desk and order people to die.

Two men and a woman waited behind him, and while they weren’t quite standing at attention, the military bearing was obvious. They all wore the same style clothes as Torran, with color being the only variation. Their expressions were carefully blank, but none of them looked particularly happy to be on my bridge.

I addressed the group. “Thank you for coming. I’m Octavia Zarola, the captain of Starlight’s Shadow. I answer to Octavia, Tavi, or Captain Zarola. This is my crew.” I pointed at each person as I introduced them. “Elias Bruck, first officer.”

Eli held up a hand in greeting, but his expression remained cool.

“Next is Kee Ildez, systems engineer and navigator.”

Kee waved and gave them a bright smile. “Welcome aboard.”