The three of them couldn’t move. The secret storage space wasn’t tiny, but it also wasn’t meant for three people. It had gotten warm and stuffy very quickly. The only consolation Sana had was her wet hair, but even that was on its way to drying now. The last hour had also succeeded in making her skin feel clammy and her heart race.

Someone had been shot. And the more she heard, the more she realised that it hadn’t been someone from the search party. 

“Get us out of here,” she heard the mechanic mutter.

“But shouldn’t we,” someone else started. 

“Let them know we’re going, but we’re leaving.” Then she groaned. “Do I really have to get up there?” She was the one who’d been shot. 

“One trek up,” another said. The one with the scars. “Instead of multiple ones up and down. I’ll get the blood cleaned up.”

“What about them?” 

The mechanic replied immediately. “Staying there until we take off. After that, I want them gone.”

There was a rustle and a low cry. Several curses followed. Another series of cries and curses. Then they heard the footsteps upstairs. 

“What’s the next station?” Momo whispered. 

“T4,” Mina replied. “You think they’re really going to throw us off?”

“Probably. She was concerned for their safety. And this happened.” 

Sana saw the bodies again, heard the screaming. These weren’t even the people who’d done that, but still someone had been hurt because of her. 

“Maybe it’s better,” Sana said. “They didn’t want to get involved in the first place.” She looked around the storage room. 

There were some interesting things. Ammunition whose interiors glowed a variety of colours, relics from Earth, including DVDs and laptops—she’d heard there were some who enjoyed collecting original planet stuff. There was one business that did a sweep of Earth every few months, calling for any vintage technology. No one had any use for it. The stuff just got you a good amount of money. Maybe the crew was transporting the tech, or maybe they were the ones who wanted them to keep. A few more questions to add to her long list. Ones that probably weren’t going to be answered now. 

They’d have to go on another search. Or maybe this time they’d actually steal a ship. If they were quick enough, maybe they could get an over here to meet them in time. A lot riskier than what they were doing now, but the risk would just apply to three, not nine. 

They sat in silence for a while. Sana was so tired. She hadn’t slept in a while. She’d been prepared to finally close her eyes after the shower, but as she was drying her hair, one of the crew had barged in and told them to get their asses to the storage room. After the sudden search, she couldn't even think of sleep as a possibility. 

The thrum of the ship started and the walls shook. Take off. At least they weren’t going to drop them at this station. Even so, she actually knew JYP. At least she knew the upper levels. The rest were completely alien to her. 

She laughed at the thought. Interstellar travel and they hadn’t found aliens in the sense that everyone predicted. They’d gotten stuff to grow on other planets, but those were all processes that happened in the past. The expansion that had been drilled into her head was not that of humanity, but that of the company. The one that had led to her family being one of the most powerful in the galaxy. The one that had led to her being here, stuck in a storage room’s secret storage room, her very presence a hazard. 

“Getting hysterical?” Mina asked. 

“Almost,” she replied. “I was thinking about why we’re here.” 

“Greed, bad luck, bastards,” Momo said. “Shall I continue?”

“Don’t have to.” Sana smiled. “Is it safe to say there’s no chance they’ll let us stay if I asked?”

“I wouldn’t say safe,” she started, “but they’ll probably say no.” 

Then there were footsteps. The sound of someone dropping to the lower level of the ship. More footsteps. 

“No one’s dead, if you were wondering.” It was a new girl. “Sorry you had to stay in suspense.” The panel started moving. She appeared in the wall. 

The girl with the scars appeared at her shoulder. “And you didn’t touch anything, good on ya.” 

Momo and Mina made Sana go first. She straightened. They’d been sitting that entire time. She wasn’t sure for exactly how long. Maybe less than an hour, maybe longer. It felt like longer.

There was a smear of blood on the floor. Her stomach tightened at the sight. 

“Dahyun got shot. Nothing terrible, just the leg. She’ll walk. And you people are still our not-so-little secret.” 

So Dahyun was her name. Just learning it brought the guilt back full force. The flashes of the first attack came back to her. She clenched her fists. So much had happened because of her. 

“Those were trigger-happy Cubes,” the scarred girl said. “I heard they nearly took someone out while they were paying their debt. Don’t remember why, could’ve been because she insulted them.” A shrug. “It’s hard not to.” 

“And you put yourself in their debt?” Momo asked. Probably not the best thing to ask. Someone’s blood was still on the floor. Still, Sana remembered seeing Cube as one of the recipients on their list. They were owed a lot. The three hundred thousand signal bill was one of theirs. And they’d been this close to getting that let off, but it hadn’t been. The girls hadn't given them up. 

She smiled. “Over here, or out here,” her eyes flicked to Mina, “there are worse people to be indebted to.” 

“What will happen now?” Mina was examining the helmet. “Letting us off at Four?”

To her surprise, the girl didn’t look smug or make a remark. 

The other girl replied instead. She had bright blonde hair cut just above her shoulders. “Not sure yet. Dahyun was saying you’re off, but she was also in shock and a lot of pain.” Another shrug. “Plus we’re gonna be flying for a little while still. The earliest you’re getting off is the next system.” 

“You could do a brief stop if you really don’t want us on,” Sana said. 

The corner of her scarred mouth tilted up. “That desperate to go?” Then she shrugged again. “It’ll be safer for all of us. And the further along you three get, the better, right?” The girl walked out of the room. “When was the last time you ate?” 

Momo hummed then. “Properly? Almost two weeks ago.” 

“Yesterday,” Sana said. And it had been terrible food. A powder that can reform itself into something vaguely similar to bread. Felt like ash on your tongue and tasted like it too. And she knew that wasn’t her being spoiled. It was objectively terrible and the only effects were a churning stomach and headache. They were kept alive through it, but all of them had lost weight. And been sick a few times. 

Her eyes widened and she promptly turned around. “I’ll whip something up.” A glance at them. “Meaning yesterday’s leftovers. Unless they’ve been eaten. Then we’ll get Jihyo and I’ll fly.”

The blonde girl shrugged. “We won’t die if she does. At least I hope so.” Then she dodged an elbow from the scarred girl.

“We’re not terrible cooks,” Momo said. “Sana’s not, at least.” She shot her a grin. 

“Unless someone rules over the kitchen too?” Sana asked. 

It got her a laugh. It was almost a cackle, but it was contagious. “That’s all of us. Jihyo might strangle you if you burn something and threaten the lungs of us all.” 

The other interjected. “If you don’t burn or poison anyone, you’re fine.” 

The first girl opened the fridge. “Someone ate it. Not sure if it was ours or the other heads.” When she straightened, she levelled them with a gaze that lacked the playfulness again. Was this why Mina didn’t trust her? Because you never knew how she was going to act? “If you are making something, make it big. Today we can have a feast. It’s your first day, first proper meal, everyone’s a little shaken up,” she said. “But we have to live on the rest for a week or more.” 

“So no seconds,” Sana finished. 

She smiled. “No thirds. Definitely seconds. I only had breakfast.” With that, she was gone. 

“No pressure then,” Momo said. “It’s just the first meal we make for you all.”

The other girl nodded. She was short. Sana knew her voice, but couldn’t place her. 

She started instead to check what was in the cupboards. Syn-tomatoes and peppers, wrapped of course, artificial pasta, and synthetic pesto. Red and green. She could make something with that. As long as she could add some proper spice. 

“No pressure,” she said. “I’ll supervise if you want. Got nothing to do anyway.” A shrug. “Oh!” A smile. She had a deep dimple on one side of her face. “I’m Chaeyoung, by the way. The other mechanic on this ship.” 

“So you have two captains, two mechanics, a doctor, a pilot, a comms person,” Mina said. “How does that work?” 

Chaeyoung looked taken aback. “That was accurate.” Her dimple deepened, but in a small frown. “But yeah, it works. Why shouldn’t it?” 

“How do you reach decisions?” Momo cut in. “If Jeongyeon is in charge of communications and software, Jihyo with where the ship goes, you two with how the ship runs, and then Dahyun again and the other one with how everyone runs.” She pulled out a big pot. “Just doesn’t make much sense.” 

“It doesn’t have to.” She took it from Momo and went to the other side of the room. Then she started filling it with water. The placement was awkward. Maybe it made the division of work in the kitchen easier? “You three coming on board was something Dahyun decided by herself, but all of us are okay with it. Sometimes Jihyo will take a risk that ends up saving our lives.” 

“And what if you know something wouldn’t work and don’t say it until afterwards?” Mina asked. “Where are the failsafes for that?”

“Just because the ship has a name and we make money through it, doesn’t mean this is a business.” It was a new person. The doctor. With her injured arm. Also because of Sana. Before she’d even known any of these people. “Are we doing a cooking thing?” Her voice was quiet. She didn't look at them all for an extended time. 

Chaeyoung nodded. Her gaze was suddenly tender. “Sure are. We’ll be served something à la Earther?” She looked at Sana. 

The new girl smiled slightly as she came over. She also had a dimple. “I’m Tzuyu. Got any health issues or injuries, I’m here to help as best I can.”

“How’s Dahyun?” Sana asked. Saying the name sounded strange to her. 

The smile softened. “Got the bullet out. It’s a good thing they weren’t carrying energy weapons.” She sighed. “Still under, with an IV. She’ll be fine.” 

“Okay.” She got to mixing the sauce. It was a good distraction. Then she felt eyes on her. “What?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” the shorter one said. “But I thought princesses have cooks.”

“In this day and age, you could say I’m emancipated,” she winked, “that’s not to say I’m never cooked for.” 

Tzuyu chuckled. “And to think, I’m more privileged than royalty these days."

Sana was about to ask what she meant, but then she caught that gentle look Chaeyoung shot the doctor’s way. So this was the couple on board. The small girl taking care of the tall one. In the midst of all the chaos, she had to smile at how adorable it was. 

_____

Dahyun’s leg ached, but whatever was flowing through her system made her feel so much better than she had before Tzuyu put her under. They’d had their fair share of fights, which included shots being fired, but that didn’t make getting shot any better. Nayeon was also going to tell her she should have disarmed him sooner. She’d be right when that point came, but Dahyun had to figure out some sort of defence. She didn't want to risk getting shot at by two others? Not the best reason. 

She counted herself lucky for not having been shot in the arm. That would’ve been a nightmare. Plus, repairs in zero g weren’t impossible with a bad leg. All in all, this wasn’t a bad turnout. Or were these the drugs talking?

Because, of course, she had to consider the reason why she’d even been shot in the first place. Someone had either had the luckiest guess of their life, or actually known, somehow, that they had the princess on their ship. 

Before Tzuyu had given her the anaesthetics, she’d been going off about how the three passengers had to be off her ship. She hoped they hadn’t heard that part. Even if it was still a very appealing prospect. Dahyun actually needed to be in her right mind before she decided to leave them to their own devices. 

And in her right mind, she hadn’t handed them over to Cube. Even if that had also been an appealing prospect. She wouldn’t be in the medical bay right now. She’d be on T9, maybe taking a long-awaited break before setting off on the rest of their deliveries. Instead they were hurtling through space, not yet at full capacity, but she imagined they would be soon. Did that mean they were on the run too? From who? Everyone? That didn’t sound nice. 

She was so lost in her thoughts and on some form of high that she didn’t hear the door open.

What she did notice was the person who walked in. The princess. Holding a tray of food. Was she dreaming? 

“Tzuyu said you were awake. I brought you today’s dinner.” 

This had to be some type of fever dream. 

“Or are you not hungry?” pulled into a frown. “Right, anaesthesia. Got to wait for that, right?” She set it down on the table beside her. “They said you like cold food, or were they just saying that so I wouldn’t try warming it up again?”

Again? How long had those anaesthetics lasted? “I like cold food,” Dahyun replied. The conversation was still surreal, but the weirdness of the post-slumber felt pretty real. Not to mention the princess was, for lack of a better word, also a bit weird. Not in a bad way, but weird nonetheless. She couldn’t place her finger on why exactly she thought that, but it was true. 

“Good.” She nodded. 

Silence passed. Wonderful. Things were now awkward. Dahyun couldn’t imagine what this person was feeling. She also really hoped none of her previous feelings were too obvious. If she was squinting at her now, it was because she needed her glasses. They were in an era where you could get a quick surgery for short-sightedness. They were also in a part of the galaxy where Dahyun could only dream of being able to afford such a thing. And Tzuyu’s skills didn’t include eyes. For that she was great with emergency procedures and handling them when they were sick. Short-sightedness was a blessing compared to a bullet wound. 

As if on cue, she spotted her glasses beside the tray. She grabbed them and put them on at the same time the princess started speaking. 

“On a scale from one to ten. How much do you want me gone?”

Dahyun looked up. A nasty bruise was forming on the side of the girl’s head. Her cheeks were also slightly hollow, making her look almost gaunt. She was frowning down at her. If she wasn’t delusional and this wasn’t a fake courtly expression, she looked concerned. And very thin. Tired too. 

She felt some of her irritation subside at that. It wasn’t her fault. It was that of her status and whatever situation she’d found herself in because of it. At least it looked like that so far. Plus, this person had been held hostage. For how long? A few weeks was it? Not great at all.

“When the pain kicked in, we were at a good fourteen out of ten. When I woke up I was at twelve, now I’m on a seven, maybe six.” She gave her a smile. “When the pain comes back, I’d say we’re at an eight. If it gets infected, a good nine point five.” 

The princess looked torn between a smile and a frown. “And at what level do we get kicked out?” 

“Kicked out, twenty out of ten. Asked to leave, fifteen. Anything below that and I’ll listen to what everyone tells me to make my judgement.” 

“Your judgement?”

“My judgement sometimes turns into Nayeon’s, or someone else’s. Might seem weird, but we try our best to be democratic here for that reason.” She let that sink in. “I hope democracy isn’t a touchy subject for you.” 

Her brow rose. “It’s not, I–we’re not—”

“Joking,” Dahyun said. “I don’t know much about how you inners run things. Just that a business became a dynasty and you’re a lil’ more upright than we are.” At least they were on the surface, but she didn’t feel like getting into any discussions on corruption right now. “About me being uneducated, I actually,” this would be embarrassing, “I don’t know your name.” Smooth. 

She looked taken aback. “Sana.” 

“Great.” She wished she could take that word back. “I’m Dahyun.”

“I know,” she said. “People already let that slip.” 

“Ah.” She’d probably been the only one to not know this girl’s name. From what she’d heard about the royal family, if you could call them that, they were like celebrities mixed with political leaders mixed with tycoons. A confusing system she’d never wanted to spend much time understanding. It was outside of what she needed to know. Was that different now? She'd have to ask Nayeon or Chaeyoung. They'd know more. Or maybe just ask the royal group personally? They'd know a whole lot more. 

“I’m sorry,” Sana said. “I should never have asked you to take us in. It put you and the rest in danger and now you’re hurt.” The words were spilling out of her. Dahyun wasn’t sure if she was supposed to stop her or let her talk. “If you want to leave us at a station or on one of the moons, you can.” 

“They tell you what I said before the anaesthetic?” 

The corner of twitched. “Yes. Heard it too." 

“I might have been overreacting,” she said. “Not sure yet, but it’s not that bad. This,” she gestured at her suspended leg, “is just a reminder that we have to have a talk about what risks are around us.” 

“Including empty space?” 

Dahyun had to laugh then. “Including that.” The atmosphere was getting more comfortable now. Good. “But also things like Cube. They’re far from the worst people you’ll meet, but their reach is wide. In your case, we need to know what you know about the people who are after you. Like are they linked to Cube? Are they trying to stir stuff up to get to you or was this something else?” 

Sana didn’t respond immediately, but she did nod. 

“But not right now,” she said. “Main thing is we’re not firing you out of the ship any time soon and you can keep your rooms—room.” 

It got her a smile. She had a pretty smile. 

Dahyun dropped her eyes. Even if this wasn’t a delusion, she was still being ridiculous. And she’d woken up strongly considering leaving her and the others on a station. It was definitely the anaesthetic. All rational thought would be coming later. She just had to keep shut until then. 

_____

Author's Note 

After yesterday's update, I got so involved in writing the next one that, well, here it is! I was also sorely missing Saida in this story, so I just had to have two scenes dedicated to each part of that relationship. 

Naturally, things are a tad awkward because one got shot because of the other one (indirectly) and is also threatening to kick them out. Yet I believe there's hope. Do you?

The next update will hopefully come next week. I'm really busy during the week, but once the weekend comes (or break on week-days), I try and write as much as I can in those moments. 

See you then!