Dahyun made sure the door was set to voice recognition before closing it. She took off the helmet, sighing in relief when the top of her head was free. She’d accidentally taken Jihyo’s. Her temples ached from hours of wearing the thing, but she’d had no time to switch yet. 

“If we keep them on for longer, you might wanna consider your hat policy.” Jihyo shot her a smile. There was a white ship to their right. It was a merchant, one from the afformentioned earth-like Goldilocks planets, but with legitimate claims to their nat-foods. She wondered how long it’d be until they were stormed. She hoped they wouldn’t, but the fool had come with a pristine white ship. 

When she climbed to the observation dome–a small half-sphere in the ceiling—she saw the station slowly shrinking away from view. It also wasn't too fancy, a long rectangular block for ships to dock and then set up their shops, as well as a huge cube. They called it the residential area, but it was filled with more shops than rooms to rent. She didn't see any ships tailing them, but more were leaving. T16 would not be pleased about the loss of business. That group might even get charges. If they were caught. 

“More than a few things could go wrong,” she replied. “What if they decide they’re too stingy and we’re sworn to absolute secrecy?”

“Or imprisoned,” Jeongyeon added. 

“Let’s think positively,” Jihyo chided. She engaged the boosters. There was another small lurch. Something their guests would have to get used to. “That was record time for an escape.” She stood, a bright smile on her face. She walked over the glass floor like it was nothing. 

Dahyun cringed. The window to space was curved to merge with part of the floor, a request from Jihyo. She’d wanted to see the way the universe unfolded above and below her, not just in front of her. Dahyun rarely liked flying herself, even if it was her own ship, but that extended view made the chances of her taking the helm even slimmer.

“Plus,” she came over to her and patted her shoulder, “they publicised the quasi-bounty all over. They’ll have to deliver.”

“Unless they charge us for forgery,” Dahyun chuckled. “She didn’t seem happy when she found our stand. Might have also suggested her stuff wasn’t all that great.”

“Which it isn’t.” 

“We should probably avoid saying that,” Jeongyeon lifted her head from the computer array, “or do we want full disclosure?”

She could only shake her head. “Not yet.” The getting-to-know phase had already proven to be awkward. Either the three had strong moral compasses, or they were just too entrenched in breaking the law‘elegantly that the crude methods of the other systems were unacceptable. Dahyun hoped for the former. 

Then the doors slid open. In walked Nayeon. 

She tore off the hat, shaking out her dark hair. “I showed the royals to the common area. Didn’t impress them.” 

“So we also got snobs on board.” Dahyun sighed. “You’re sure we can’t drop them off at Nine?”

Her co-captain gave her a look. “Shall I show you our debts, or read them out to you?”

“I don’t want to hear about a single digit.” They were doing well, but things just weren’t running smoothly. Yet. 

Jihyo hummed. “Good news. We’re out of sight there and I’ve seen no tails on camera or radar!” Then she proceeded to knock her head three times, despite ‘knocking on wood’ being a pretty unattainable feat nowadays. At least for their sort. 

“If they find us after you said that, you’re not getting a drink for three nights.” Jeongyeon warned. “but we didn’t get any messages other than a bribe offer to give over the princess. A general one,” she snickered, “with a grand total of fifty signals.”

“Can we at least keep the masks on until the next station? You don’t want to, you lock yourself away someplace.” Dahyun got to her feet. 

“Fine,” Nayeon said. “But after that, these are banned indoors.”

She smiled. “Of course.”

“You sure you’re not being paranoid?” Jeongyeon patted her damp head, before quickly withdrawing her hand. “Ew.” 

“They were supposed to be captured,” she replied. “It’s good they’re not anymore, but we don’t know how they got free or from who they’re escaping.”

“And they disappeared from a different system,” Jihyo added. 

“Alright,” Nayeon sighed. “Got it, but I’m voting we go all the way.”

“Same here,” Jeongyeon raised a finger, “and we’ll be safe about it.”

Dahyun nodded. “So I should get the rooms set up?” It wasn’t that she’d pass up the reward, but it just felt like too great a risk. Shots had been expected. Chaeyoung had worked on boosting the shields the moment Dahyun had told them about the fruits they needed to transport. That way, if anyone ever managed to get into their comms logs, the tweaked supplies list would be a little bit more believable. 

“Make them a couple degrees colder,” Nayeon said. “They’re already dressed for space. This’ll be a luxury compared to that.” She winked. “And I bet they’ve been dissing the ship.”

“You’re cruel,” she said, but laughed all the same. “They still have to get used to her charm. Plus, we don’t even know what they’re like.”

“Yet.” 

“See you soon.” She put the stuffy and too tight headpiece back on. Then she opened the doors. It was very different to a luxury cruiser. She'd gotten deals on great parts, replaced terrible ones only once they were really unusable. It made for an interior that was even more mismatched than the exterior, but it was all functional. The systems in place worked smoothly, better than any public transporter. The Breakthrough was also fast, something she'd tell the passengers later. That would comfort them if the coziness didn't. 

The small journey down into the living area took her past Tzuyu’s domain. She stopped and opened those doors, closing them right after coming in. 

“How’s it looking?” 

Their doctor smiled weakly. She looked terrible, though the cuts had clotted. 

“I told you the MZ weapons were .” 

“Damn right,” Chaeyoung said. 

“Next time I’ll take the staff,” she chuckled, “once the arm’s healed. It’s just a fracture.” She nodded to the cast. “We’ll need another one soon as well.”

Dahyun nearly asked how much that’d cost, but she resisted. “Need anything from the kitchen?”

“Chaeng already brought soup, and rice.” 

“That’s a good combination?” 

“Not really.” 

“You wanted to try it,” Chaeyoung protested. “I just complied.” 

Dahyun laughed. “As long as you’re comfortable. I can put the heat up any time.” 

Tzuyu just shook her head.

She went out again, sliding down the ladder, glad she included a pulley for the injured to get up and down more easily. Otherwise they’d have to turn the gravity off every time they all gathered for meals. 

That was when she heard tinkering. It was coming from the storage room. She peered around the corner to see their three new passengers examining the parts of a gun—the parts of her gun. Two of them by the looks of it. If they mixed the springs up, she’d really consider turning the temperature of their rooms down. 

“How did you get in here?” There were more boxes than before. Nayeon had been able to claim the supplies in time. 

All three had taken off their masks, or veils, whatever those had been. 

One smirked at her. She had a black eye. “You left the door wide open.” 

Either Jeongyeon or Nayeon had forgotten. At least they hadn’t tried bypassing her systems. Yet. 

“And you thought you’d start taking my weapons apart?” There were tools scattered around the floor—much too fancy to be one of hers. 

“Yours?” The princess’s brow rose. “You used our designs.” The garbled accent from earlier was gone. She was pretty terrible at them, but at least Dahyun hadn’t been able to guess she was from the inner systems. 

Dahyun fought the urge to correct her, but this was shaky ground. No one batted an eye at what she’d been doing here, but now the conglomerate’s crown jewel was here. 

“Why don’t you sell it for the same price?” Black-eye asked. “Or even three quarters?”

“I need to match the price to the firing power and longevity. Most can't afford to maintain the sleek systems.” She steered clear of the Minatozaki-esque gun and started reassembling the pistol they’d dismembered. And to think she’d offered them a two-package discount. “Not over here.” She resisted the urge to say that the rifle itself wasn’t worth half as much as its Earthen price—not even the lunar one. 

The princess frowned then. She had a surprising amount of grime on her face, but it was hard to mistake her for anyone else. Dahyun had gotten the shock of her life when that mask had been pulled away to reveal the face of the famed heiress to the Minatozaki empire—a missing heiress at that. Right after said heiress discovered that her weapons have been recreated (and improved upon) by a random person on a trading post. She didn’t remember her name, but you’d have to be a complete hermit to not know what the missing princess looked like. Her picture had been pasted everywhere in the last weeks. Had it been weeks? She wasn’t sure. 

She refrained from reloading the pistol, not wanting to provoke. One of the two others had to be guards—or maybe both were. Or all three were apt in combat, while Dahyun…wasn’t. And she wouldn’t ever fire her own gun in this ship. 

Instead, she tucked it into one of the many crates before securing them all with voice recognition in addition to the passcode. She didn’t think the Minatozaki girl would steal her ideas, but she might try to sabotage the other weapons. She had no way to know. 

Yet, she thought. Her eyes went to one of the crates with a severely charred side. The raiding party who’d beaten Tzuyu down had also done that, probably more as a warning or insult. No person could fit into the containers they kept here. Not in one piece at least. They’d also suffocate, but that group hadn’t quite cared about their ‘excuses’. 

“But the other things are yours?” the other one asked. “Or are they from the companies you’ve got out here?”

She tried not to be offended by the word ‘things’. It didn’t work. “You’re asking if I’m a serial forger?” She sealed off the last crate and turned back to them. The princess was putting the rifle back together. Dahyun hoped she didn’t look too concerned. If that gun misfired, they’d be in for another complication, namely a damaged hull and a heart attack—Dahyun’s. Yet she did it with ease, even with the modifications. 

“Are you?” the Minatozaki asked before getting to her feet. Her expression could’ve been cold or curious. Dahyun couldn’t tell. 

“Have been,” she admitted. “But we make our own now. And yes, the occasional economical alternative does come into the mix.”

She handed her the grey gun. “By making it able to hold laser cartridges or normal bullets?” She was tall. All three of them were thin and far too regal looking for this part of space. They even walked like it. They’d been lucky their clothes were a few steps above rags or else someone would have caught on. 

“Versatility is beloved,” Dahyun replied, stuffing it into one of the Z-marked crates. She took a pen from her belt and drew a circle on it. Even if the princess was a far better weapons manufacturer than her, she wouldn’t leave even more up to chance than was necessary. Especially in the vacuum. “We have empty cabins you can use. Might be a little cold,” she waved an arm, signalling them to follow, “energy’s needed elsewhere.” Nayeon would be pleased. 

“We can handle it,” Black-eye said. 

“Is there a reason you’re still wearing that thing?” the princess asked. “I showed you mine. Can’t you do the same?” A small smile. 

“Captain’s orders.” She returned it. “We keep anonymous until we’re sure you’re all safe. For both your and our sakes.”

“Aren’t we the refugees?”

“Technically,” she shrugged, “but we’re still strangers to each other and have different laws.”

“The law is the same no matter where you look.” 

So she did have a moral compass. “Law might not have been the right word.” She stopped at a set of two doors. “Two will have to share a room. Or however you usually do it.” She unlocked both. It was dusty in both. She’d have to ventilate them, probably sweep them out too. They were positively freezing. 

“This one’s big enough for the three of us.” Black-eye peered inside, a small frown on her face. 

Perfect. She resisted the urge to smile. “Suit yourselves.” The door to the other room closed. “I’ll turn the heat on, plus hot water.” The pipe there might be a small issue, but she’d get that sorted when she did the general clean. “But wait until I sort out the dust and stuff.”

“Wait.” The princess looked quite tired now—normal by Dahyun’s standards. She nodded to the unbruised girl who drew something out from the bag at her side. The other two didn’t have one. This one also looked the cleanest of the three. Had she not been captured for as long? Or was she the reason they’d gotten free in the first place. “What I said you’d get up front.” 

Dahyun was handed two glittering cases, both far brighter than anything she’d ever seen. Signals. A lot of them. 

“Thank you.” It felt like they should have been humming in her hands, but they were just metal containers. 

She smiled. “You got us out of there. Thank you.” 

She wanted to tell her that one was enough, but Nayeon would have her head. And for good reason. A fair amount of their debts would be paid off. That would make current sales so much easier. And if this was just a fraction of the reward, life would be quite different. She just hoped it was worth the risk.