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promised quickness and superior maneuverability.
    Sleek, powerful, and dangerous, she mused,
much like her Captain.
    “ She’s beautiful,” Cidra
breathed softly, her voice still shaky from the aftereffects of
battle.
    Grey glanced at her, his eyes gleaming.
“Yes. She is.”
    He landed the jet in Calíbre ’s port side
landing bay. As they exited the K12, a tall, lanky man strode
toward them sporting a shock of red hair and what appeared to be a
permanent grin on his face.
    The man waved. “Captain, glad to see you in
one piece. Nice bit of flying. I didn’t know you could handle a K12
like that.”
    “ Barrios, Cidra, this is my
first officer, Decker.” Grey gestured to Cidra and looked at
Decker. “Cidra was at the helm.”
    Decker’s eyebrows shot up. He whistled
softly and then beamed at Cidra. “Been a long time since we’ve had
a good looking, crack pilot around here.”
    She grinned back. “Really, what are your
pilots usually like?”
    “ Average.” Decker winked.
“And real hairy.”
    Grey spoke up. “Decker, show Cidra to Cabin
Number Two. Barrios is bunking with you temporarily.”
    Decker hesitated. “Uh, Cabin Number Two,
sir?”
    “ Problem?”
    “ No, sir. I just
thought...no problem.” Decker scratched his red head.
    Grey turned to Cidra and Barrios. “Decker
can show you around and get you settled. Make yourselves at home.”
He nodded to Decker and strode out of the landing bay.
    Decker waved them in the other direction,
ushering them down a hallway of doors. “This corridor runs around
the inside of the ship between crew quarters on the outer perimeter
and the public areas located in the center. Bridge is at the front,
landing bays and cargo in the rear.”
    They passed under the high, graceful
archways that formed the ship’s infrastructure. Bright, ambient
light flowed from panels above the doorways spaced along the
corridor. All surfaces gleamed with low luster metal. Austere,
strong, safe.
    Cidra paused and pressed her hand against a
smooth wall, tuning into the gentle vibration of a ship alive. The
engines shifted slightly, gearing up for the jump into hyperspace.
She had never actually experienced the vehicle that facilitated
intergalactic travel before. It translated into distance, a lot of
it in a hurry, between her and Avion.
    Decker continued his tour. “Including you
two, we now have a crew of eleven. That pretty much fills up the
quarters. We all try to get together for evening meal. Keeps the
group tight. And for the most part, everyone gets along. We work
when there’s a job, usually fifteen days max, then get a break for
about the same.” He shrugged his thin shoulders. “Depends on what
we come up with. Our pay is contingent on success.”
    “ So, how is the treasure hunting
business?” Barrios puffed, struggling to keep up with Decker’s long
stride.
    “ It’s been better. Our last
two finds were claimed just as we arrived.” Decker’s voice carried
frustration.
    Cidra spoke up. “That’s not an inherent risk
in treasure hunting?”
    Decker shook his head. “Not for us. Don’t
get me wrong. Treasure hunting can be a ruthless, dangerous
business but our specialty is recovering very old artifacts
considered lost forever. Not many hunters bother with those, but
Captain has a real talent for it. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. It
takes a lot more research and time because the trail is ice cold.
But the reward is much higher than a simple search and salvage
operation of a more recent wreck.” Decker shook his head. “We put a
lot of work into those two finds. It was no accident both of them
were jumped by the same people.” He stopped talking abruptly and
looked at them, as if sensing he had said too much.
    “ The same people?” Cidra
repeated. “You’re right, that doesn’t sound like a
coincidence.”
    “ Sounds more like a leak.”
Barrios snorted, his eyes roving the corridor. “Any place to get a
drink around here?”
    Decker jumped at the