Page 6 of Full Speed to a Crash Landing

Rian looks like he’s going to offer more, but the captain snaps, “No.”

I lick my spoon. “Any hot sauce?”

“No,” she says again.

“Ah, you guys get real food on the regular, then. If you were using worms, you’d have a whole tank of hot sauce.”

Rian cringes, the look of a guy who knows how little hot sauce does for the aftertaste but how important it is anyway.

“What are you doing in this sector?” the captain asks.

“You can sit, you know,” I say, gesturing with the spoon. “It’s a little awkward just staring up at you like this.” I said that to be nice, because she’s short enough to not hear that kind of thing often, but she just keeps scowling. “I don’t even know your name.”

“I’m the captain of theHalifax,” the captain of theHalifaxsays.

“Yes, but Captainwhat?” I ask. Her jaw tightens. Oh, this one doesnotlike being questioned. Not even for a name. I wonder if she’s had interrogation training. I wonder if she’sjusthad interrogation training for this mission.

“Ursula, just sit,” Rian says.

I shoot him a grin. “Yes, please do, Ursula.”

“Captain Io,” she snaps. But she does at least sit.

“So, I’m guessing I’m here for the same reason you’re here,” I say cheerily, scraping the spoon along the bottom of the tray. “Salvage. The UGSRoundaboutis not going to loot itself, after all.”

“You are not supposed to know about theUGSRoundabout,” Ursula says.

I give her an exaggerated wink. “And neither are you.”

“How did you get here so quickly?”

I pick up the metal tray and lick the bottom. When I put it down, Ursula and Rian are both waiting for my answer.

“I didn’t get here any quicker than my ship can go.” I shrug. “Then again, I think I blew a fuel line, so maybe I ran alittlehot.”

“Ms. Lamarr,” Rian starts.

“Mr. White.” I match his deep tone.

“How long have you been at this site?”

I shrug. “Two standard days.”

“TheUGSRoundaboutonly crashed ten cycles ago. Thisis not a typical route. From almost any port, you’d have to have come here within hours of the crash to be here before us.”

“Look, you know I’m not going to tell you my source,” I say, leveling with him. “Looters’ code.”

“Looters don’t have a code,” Ursula protests, a distinct snarl to her voice.

“Are you saying you don’t have a code? No wonder you almost let me die before deigning to rescue me.” There’s an edge in my voice now. “Because, see, the law says a shipcrash can be scavenged if it’s not reported by the government as off-limits. AndRoundabout’snot been reported. So, I’m in the right here, and just because you don’t like that don’t mean I’m breaking the law.”

My gaze slides from the captain over to Rian. “Butyou,on the other hand, ignored a distress call forhours.”

And thatisagainst the law. Any ship within range of a distress call must answer the distress call if they have the means. And clearly,Halifaxhas the means.

The captain squares her shoulders, her eyes narrowed, but I glare right back at her. She has the grace to shrink a little. “There was some...” She swallows. “Some debate about the validity of your call.”

I raise both my eyebrows. I’m not seeing everything in a red haze anymore, but I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror in the med bay, and I know my eyes are still crimson from the burst blood vessels.

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