Early the next morning, I dragged myself to the galley for a much-needed hit of caffeine. Our arrival at Bastion had been delayed by over an hour, so I’d had a very short night, and my head ached with the lack of sleep.

I scowled at my coffee cup and silently urged the stimulant to work faster. When Kee bounced into the room, bright and energetic, I transferred my scowl to her.

She winced in sympathy. “Short night?”

“Three hours. And Bastion is charging us a fortune to dock. The sooner we can leave, the better.”

“I saw Lexi messaged. Have you contacted her to let her know we’re here?”

I nodded. “I sent her a message a few minutes ago with our location, so she should turn up later. I also need to go round up some more supplies because General Fletcher says we might not be able to buy anything in Valovian space.”

Kee frowned. “He’s not going to feed us once we hit dirt?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll feel better if we’re prepared for the worst.”

Kee glanced toward the door, then leaned in and whispered, “Speaking of, now that we’re closer to the border, I checked on your Valovian bounty. It’s been temporarily suspended with no listed end date.”

That wasn’t as good as a total cancellation, but it was better than nothing. I would still have to be careful once we crossed into Valovian space because some less than reputable hunters would pick me up anyway, if they got the chance, just in case the bounty returned to active.

“Thanks for the update. Let me know if anything changes as we get closer. I’ve authorized Anja to buy a few things she needs for the repairs, so I’d appreciate it if you could also help her find the best deal and get her set up to draw on our funds—with a reasonable limit. And tell Eli to keep an eye on Starlight while I’m gone.”

“You should take Eli with you,” Kee said. “The station isn’t dangerous, exactly, but it’s rougher than it was the last time we were here.”

“Send him with Anja. The parts are more important. You stay and look after the ship, and I’ll look after myself.”

Torran entered the galley wearing his synthetic black armor, minus the helmet. “I will accompany you,” he said.

“Not wearing that, you won’t,” I said, waving at his armor. Bastion still carried scars from the war. Lucrative trade deals with the Valoffs had bought a measure of tolerance, but most of the people on the station were still understandably wary and suspicious.

Torran looked down at himself. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Everything. If you wear that, everything I buy will cost three times as much, and it’s already overpriced to begin with.”

His eyes narrowed. “I will pay the difference.”