The realization that I was technically captain of this vessel, at least for the moment, stunned me briefly, but I quickly recovered.

  “Well, as captain, let’s get to work.” We took care of the prisoners as quickly as possible, then regrouped at the bridge.

  “I think our next order of business is to determine the situation.” I walked over to what appeared to be a sensors console and sat down, quickly initiating a scan of the system.

  “Wow, these scanners are worse than I expected, though some of that may just be me having gotten used to the Bluejay. It’ll take a moment.”

  I flicked over to the comms information. “Looks like they never called for help. I wonder why?”

  Jara answered, “They are pirates—demonstrating weakness like that is a good way to get ousted.”

  “Maybe, though they were specifically targeting me, knew about this route, and were waiting for us specifically. That has some dangerous implications.”

  “You thinking there’s a mole?”

  “Maybe, or some other source of a leak.”

  “But why you?” Jara wondered aloud.

  I kept my cool, not wanting to reveal any unnecessary information. I hoped it was retaliation from the fight on Midding Station, but I worried it was more.

  “Wait a minute,” Ani chimed in, eyes squinting at me. “I seem to recall a rumor that made the rounds a couple cycles ago about a princess going missing. Now, I thought that was silly at the time, but I do recall there being a white-scaled member of the imperial family. Know anything about that, Dax?”

  I tensed up for just a moment before getting control of myself. I hoped that no one noticed, but judging by the look on Jara’s face, I was out of luck.

  “Dax? Is it true?” Isa asked softly.

  I sighed, realizing my secret was out. “Yes. I am actually Faye Shael Lumien Daxina Erythralia, imperial princess of the empire. I ran away from home and joined the navy under a false identity in order to avoid a political marriage.”

  Jara seemed contemplative, while Ani had a look of suspicion on her face. Isa just looked stunned.

  Thankfully, Jara broke the ice. “Well, your imperial highness, what are your orders?”

  I shook my head in exasperation before affecting the best haughty tone I could. “Captain is sufficient.”

  That seemed to calm Ani for some reason, though Isa just looked more bewildered. Thankfully, the first results from the scan started coming in then, giving me a distraction.

  “Hmm, looks like there are no ships close by,” I said, confused at first before realizing the problem. “Shit, our gambit must not have worked! They must have left this ship behind to collect us while the others chased down the Bluejay!”

  “Fuck,” Jara said, slamming her fist into the nearest flat surface. “That explains why we all ended up on the same ship.”

  Isa looked ready to cry upon learning that, while Ani seemed to have transferred any residual anger back to the pirates.

  “Okay, shit, um, well…” I sighed. “There’s nothing we can do for them until we have more information. Do any of you have any knowledge of bridge systems?”

  Ani and Jara shook their heads, while Isa wobbled hers in a “sorta” gesture. I motioned for her to elaborate.

  “I’m some familiarity with the software for maintenance purposes, but I don’t actually know how to use it with any degree of expertise.”

  “Hmm, I may need to give you all a crash course enough to muddle through if we’re going to get this thing flying. What about piloting experience?”

  Isa and Jara had none, but Ani said she had a small bit of training on shuttle piloting, but not starships.

  “Shit. I hate it, but we may need to get one or two of the pirates to help.”

  The others winced at that idea, but agreed.

  “For now, Isa, can you take Jara and verify the status of the engines and other critical systems? I want to make sure they didn’t do anything to them before we move out. Ani, can you check over the weapons and food stores? I’ll keep running scans and figure out a plan.”

  ““Aye, captain,”” they all said in unison. That was going to take some getting used to.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Once I was alone, I leaned back in my chair and groaned. My secret was not so secret anymore, though I had my worries that more than those three knew about it. I tried to figure out how I could have been revealed, but nothing came to mind. Eventually, I shook off the whirring thoughts and focused on the scans.

  From what I could see, the other ships, including the Bluejay, were well on their way across the system. It looked like our gambit might still work—apparently it had bought enough time that our crewmates had been able to gain enough ground that their superior speed was winning.

  I didn’t want to pursue them too closely, so I was glad for the excuse to wait. I flipped through the other systems, making sure everything looked right.

  Soon enough, Isa’s voice came over the intercom. “Life support looks good, captain. I opted to check that first for safety’s purposes. I’ll check the engines next.”

  “Good work, Dalgado.” I switched the intercom to cover the entire ship. “It appears the Bluejay managed to slip by the pirates and is currently being chased. Hopefully, their superior speed wins out.”

  I continued to review the systems and scan data until the others informed me they were done and returned to the bridge.

  “Everything looks fine on my end, captain,” Isa stated once we were all together.

  “Good. Golgoriani?”

  “The ship has primarily prepackaged meals, but there is enough for us and the remaining crew for at least two cycles. The weapons aren’t military standard, but they seem in good condition and capable enough. The ship is a bit less well-armed than a cruiser, with twelve force projectors and six missile bays. There’s no chance of me manning more than three force projectors or a single missile bay, though.”

  “That’s okay. If it comes down to a firefight, we’ll lose anyway. On my end, bridge systems all seem fine, but I can’t manage everything myself. I’m wary to trust any of the pirates, but I’m afraid we’re going to need someone, either a pilot or navigator at the least.”

  “I could—” Ani started to propose.

  I held up a hand to stop her. “I’m sorry, but I’m not a great pilot myself, so I doubt I can train you up in any reasonable time. Starships navigating the aether are noticeably more complex to handle than a shuttle. We’ll need one of the pilots.”

  The others looked upset but resigned to reality.

  “Let’s go. When we arrive make sure to have your pistols ready and in lethal mode, and keep enough distance that they can’t surprise us with an attack.”

  We made our way down to the cargo hold and our temporary brig. The various pirates had all recovered from being stunned by that point, and most were staring at us with various looks of derision and hatred. The few others just looked despondent.

  “Hello, pirates,” I said as we approached.

  The human man I took to be the captain glared at me before speaking. “What do you want, imperial dogs?”

  “What I want is to be back on my ship where I belong, but you decided to prevent that. What I need is to know which of you has bridge experience, particularly navigation and piloting.”

  “Why would we help you steal our ship?” the captain spat out.

  “Because if no one can help me fly this boat, we’re all dead. On the other hand, you might avoid death by helping us make it back to civilization. Hell, maybe your benefactor will pull some strings and you’ll ‘mysteriously’ disappear, only to resurface later with a new ship.”

  During my thinking on the bridge, I had realized what had been bothering me about the situation. They were going to have to fly back to Abos eventually, and when they did, they would meet a less-than-welcoming party of destroyers and cruisers. That is, unless someone suppressed the information. That meant we weren’t just dealing with a mole, but a highly-placed criminal. The implications were terrifying.

  Judging by his expression when I made my comment, I had hit the nail on the head.

  “So, who can help?”

  “Well, I can, of course,” the captain said.

  I shook my head. “No, I can’t trust you enough, even at gunpoint. Anyone else a pilot or navigator and willing to work with us for now?”

  An elven woman stood up. She seemed nervous, not at all what I imagined from a hardened pirate. The captain gave her a glare as if to shut her up, but she seemed to firm up a bit, gaining confidence as she spoke. “I’m a pilot.”

  I assessed her for a few moments before turning to Jara. “Thoughts?” I whispered.

  “Something seems off here, but I’m inclined to let her try.”

  I nodded. “All right. Keep your pistols trained on the door. Remember, lethal mode. You,” I said, pointing at the elf. “Step towards the door. Everyone else, back away.”

  They obeyed, some begrudgingly, and I unlocked the door long enough for the woman to step out before closing it up again.

  “We’ll be by later with some food. Have fun eating it without the use of your hands.”

  I led the potential pilot towards the bridge, ensuring Jara had her gun trained on the woman the entire time.

  As we walked, I asked her increasingly difficult questions about piloting, and she answered all of them perfectly. Deciding she was actually a pilot, when we arrived at the bridge, I sat her down.

  “Now, the entire time you’re working, Jara here will keep her gun out, ready to shoot you if needed. There will be no use of thaumaturgy at all, even though you will by necessity be uncuffed.

  “Now, we’re going to be doing long shifts followed by waiting. It’s risky, but less so than trusting more of your crew. I do have a question, though. What’s your story?”

  I had the feeling there was something fishy going on, but I was surprised to learn the truth.

  “I was a civilian pilot for a merchant conglomerate. It was good work until pirates attacked our vessel and boarded us. They killed or kidnapped the entire crew and raided our cargo. Most of us, they sold to the Kaksholi, but some of the crew took a liking to me, so the captain decided to keep me. Since I was a decent pilot, I occasionally worked there, but mostly I was used to ‘service’ the pirates. It wasn’t my choice.”

  Her voice started off timid, but as she continued, she seemed to gain confidence from her budding anger. I gestured for the others to gather a little ways away, though I kept my gun drawn and her in view.

  “Do you think she’s telling the truth?” I whispered.

  Jara thought for a moment. “Hard to say. She’s either telling the truth or a skilled actress. Still, I think she’s our best bet for now. I’ll keep her under control.”

  “I think she’s telling the truth, horrible as it may be,” Isa admitted.

  Ani agreed. “She could be lying, but I think it’s safe to treat her like it’s the truth for now, just stay on guard.”

  “All right.”

  I walked over to the woman and unlocked her cuffs. “Try anything and we won’t stun you, we’ll kill you.”

  “Thank you, captain,” she said.

  “Now, what’s your name?”

  “Ontari Videlfurrow.”

  “Ms Videlfurrow, welcome to the crew. For now.”