Page 26 of New World

The door hissed softly as it slid open an hour later. Mei emerged out of the bathroom where she had taken refuge when she heard footsteps approaching. Tiv stepped inside, her sleek exoskeleton reflecting the dim light. Her mandibles clicked together lightly, and her multi-jointed hands rested on her hips.

“We’re almost there,” she said, her voice carrying that familiar calm amusement. “Less than an hour.”

Mei nodded, exhaling.

“You ready?” Tiv tilted her head.

Mei’s lips twitched. “Are you?”

Tiv chittered in laughter before stepping further inside. “I’ve arranged everything. You’ll be hidden inside a container, standard cargo, nothing suspicious. Once we dock, they’ll move it to the loading bay. That’s where you’ll slip out.”

Mei arched a brow. “Just like that?”

Tiv’s mandibles twitched with mischief. “It is a very busy place. No one will notice.”

“Anyone still looking for Grak?”

Tiv let out a soft chitter. “After the initial search, they decided he accidentally ejected himself out of the trash tube. He was very drunk.”

Mei blinked, then snorted. “Are you serious?”

Tiv’s eyes twinkled. “I may have… manipulated some of the vidcom and data logs.”

Mei laughed. “You rewrote the records?”

Tiv shrugged with all four of her shoulders. “Since no one smelled anything, they accepted it. Lorik swore us all to secrecy.”

Mei shook her head and raised her eyebrow. “And the captain?”

“He scrubbed all records of Grak from the system.” Tiv’s eyes gleamed. “Paperwork is annoying.”

Mei chuckled. “They would’ve made good politicians back on my world.”

Tiv’s mandibles flicked, her version of a grin. “Perhaps. But there is no paperwork in space. I must go. There is much work before we dock.”

Mei exhaled, shaking her head. This galaxy was ridiculous. Sergi must love it here.

After Tiv left, the weight of what came next settled onto Mei’s shoulders. She had no plan. No contacts. No idea how she would find the others.

Mei had to remind herself that she had survived an impossible journey. She had woken up in an unknown galaxy through an alien gateway that shouldn’t have existed.

And yet, here she was.

Plus, she wasn’t alone anymore. Tiv had offered to help, and her brother might as well.

Mei drew in a deep, calming breath. She would find her friends, her… family. She let her eyes drift shut, recalling the whispered assurances of her mother.

“You hold the power to make your own destiny, Mei Li. Even when the odds are against you.”

The words wrapped around her like armor, strengthening her resolve. She opened her eyes, rose, and gathered her survival bag and katana. Her eyes were drawn back to the viewport. She lifted her chin as Cryon II filled the circular window.

This was it. She would make her own destiny. She would find the others. And she wouldn’t just survive, she would thrive.

A short time later, she emerged in the loading bay where she and Tiv had agreed to meet. The area was a chaos of metal and movement, the hum of machinery interwoven with the shouts of workers as cargo and space junk was shuffled between transports. The heavy scent of heated metal, fuel, and lubricant filled the air, mixing with the ozone tang from the power grids overhead.

Mei crouched low behind a towering stack of discarded parts, her pulse steady, though she was hyper-aware of her surroundings. Tiv had told her exactly where to go. Now she just had to wait for the moment.

Across the busy floor, Tiv worked easily among the crew, blending in as she unloaded carts of scrap metal with practiced efficiency. Mei watched as the insectoid woman maneuvered a heavy-laden cart near the crates where Mei was hidden, Tiv’s movement casual, unhurried, but purposeful.

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