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a newfound appreciation of Solomon Vess’s influence and power. Not just anyone could hire enlisted men from the Imperium. In fact, I’d never heard of such a thing before.
    The transporter slowed to a stop and the door slid open. We stepped out into a corridor that was wider than the one we’d entered from the shuttle. The lighting panels in the walls and ceilings were brighter here. A number of doors lined the corridor on both sides, all with digital locks.
    “Crew quarters’ deck,” Vess said. He walked to a door that had the word CAPTAIN stenciled on its steel surface. “And these are your quarters,” he said. “The passcode on the lock is all zeroes at the moment but you can change it to whatever you like.” He jabbed the zero key a few times and the door slid open.
    Vess gestured for me to enter. “Your new home, Captain.”
    I went inside and stood in my quarters. The main room was furnished with a blue sofa and easy chair arranged around a low glass coffee table. A TV screen was built into one wall while the largest wall was simply a huge window, looking out into space and the bright stars. An archway led to a small kitchen.
    While Vess, Baltimore, and Morrow waited outside, I went through to the bedroom, which contained a large bed, a closet, a nightstand, and a second TV. Another huge window dominated the room but this one showed a view of a nighttime forest scene, complete with the sounds of distant birds. There was a remote on the nightstand to control the TV and the window.
    If only Mr. Chow could see me now. Compared to my apartment on Iton-3, this was the lap of luxury.
    In the closet, a number of identical dark blue uniforms hung, waiting for me. Each had a double silver bar insignia on the shoulder, the symbol of a naval captain in the Imperium Army. It seemed Vess had appropriated Imperium ranks and symbols for his own private force. Two weapons belts, complete with blaster pistols, lay on the closet shelf.
    I wondered if we were all expected to wear uniforms while on this mission. Was Baltimore going to change into something other than her Solomon Vess Industries uniform, maybe a tight-fitting legion outfit? If so, I looked forward to it.
    I walked back to the door and said to Vess, “The quarters are fine.”
    He smiled. “Excellent, Captain. Now if you’ll follow me, there are a couple of people I’d like you to meet.” He led us back to the transporter and we squeezed inside again. This thing was only meant to carry three people, max. With the four of us in there, the fit was tight.
    When the transporter opened to let us out, we were standing in a small, brightly-lit area before a large double door marked BRIDGE.
    “The ship’s computer will only open this door for personnel who are authorized to be on the bridge,” Vess said. “Go ahead and try it.”
    I stepped forward and the doors slid open.
    Vess grinned. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d clapped his hands together in glee. Now that I had seen the uniforms hanging in my closet and Vess’s enthusiasm regarding the ship, I was a little worried. Was Vess like a child playing with toy soldiers but because he was a billionaire, he could afford real soldiers and ships instead of models? I felt like I was one of the pieces in a WarZone game and Vess was the player, moving me around to suit his whim.
    I put the thought aside for now. Once we were underway, this mission would be under my command. Vess would be waiting in the October Girl until we returned.
    At least, that’s what I hoped was going to happen.
    I looked at the old man gesturing for me to enter the bridge. He wasn’t coming with us, was he?
    Unsure as to how I was going to broach the subject with him, I walked onto the bridge. The door opened onto a raised area behind the main room. A ramp each side of where we stood led down to the bank of screen that displayed star charts, diagnostic diagrams of the ship, and scrolling numbers that reported the status of