6

Rather than leave it to Lassite, she led Arpat herself through the restaurant after warning him that if he attempted to interact with the critic, he would be ousted. But the warning was in vain. As they entered the room, the critic’s gaze flickered up to catch sight of them, eliciting a broad smile from her. She exclaimed, “Arpat Takraven! Oh my stellars, I am such a fan. Please, if you’re dining alone, would you consider eating with me?”

He gave Niko a sideways look and had the poise to wait for her nod before advancing on the table, hand outstretched again, saying, “The pleasure is all mine.”

Niko waited with ill grace until he was seated, then handed him the menu. Stepping into the kitchen, she said, “Hold off the order for the critic. You’re about to get another order that she’ll want served with hers.”

“What?” came the chorus, though Dabry only gave her an upraised eyebrow.

She shrugged at all of them. “It’s the owner of that bioship,” she told Thorn and Talon.

They gasped in delight, whiskers perking fully. Dabry said, “But why, Captain? I thought we agreed no other customers after she arrived. And what are they doing sitting with the critic?”

“Paying very well for the privilege.”

“How well?”

“Enough to buy us a ship.” At his startled, happy look, she cautioned, “A small ship, mind you. But one that we might be able to use to our advantage and to supplement our income by quite a bit. And that in turn would put us ahead of schedule.” She grinned at him full out now. “A stroke of luck, wouldn’t you say?”

“Don’t say that, I beg of you,” he said with earnest gravity.

“Why not?”

“I may not believe in prophecy, but I do believe in jinxes.”

She started to answer him, but whatever she was about to say was drowned out in the explosion.

7

The noise didn’t come from inside the room where they were. Nor did it come from somewhere out in the restaurant, or even the halls immediately outside it. Instead, it was a large noise, a station-shaking sort of large. Everyone scrambled for emergency pressure suits, Niko and Dabry pulling theirs on while running toward the dining room with armloads of others.

“You take the admiral’s party and I’ll get the critic and her friend!” she shouted at him. The station lurched again. “Gods above, that’s something big! We’ve got to get to an escape vehicle.”

“There’s pods!” he shouted back.

She shook her head and he didn’t push it for now. Niko hated the pods, the way they held you helpless while you waited to be rescued. No, she’d take her chances on trying to find something better than that.