Page 10 of Pact with the Alien Devil

“You think I’d give you a chip with more info than you need to know?” He leaned back, somehow managing to look at ease despite being folded into the too-small chair. “You’re not the first smuggler to work for us, Iria. We have protocols.”

I inserted the chip and scanned the data as it populated my navigation screen. “The Kerillian Sector? That’s the ass-end of nowhere.”

“It’s the outskirts of Vinduthi territory. The mining outpost was abandoned after a territorial dispute.”

“Abandoned usually means stripped bare and worthless,” I said, programming the coordinates. “What exactly are we retrieving?”

“A container. Sealed. Government-grade. You don’t need to know what’s inside.”

“I always like to know what I’m hauling.”

The engines hummed to life beneath us, a sound so familiar it was practically part of my heartbeat.

“The last surprise cargo I transported tried to eat through the hull.”

“This one won’t eat through anything.”

“Then tell me what it is.”

Korvan’s expression hardened. “Research materials. Valuable ones. That’s all you need to know.”

I rolled my eyes and finished the pre-flight checks. “Fine. Your mysterious box better not blow us up.”

I guided theStarfallout of the docking bay and into the open space beyond Thodos Station. The ship responded to my touch like an extension of my body—each twitch of the controls translated perfectly into movement.

Korvan watched me fly, the tension making the back of my neck prickle. I didn’t like being observed this closely.

“What?” I finally snapped after several minutes of silence.

“You’re good,” he said simply.

“I know.”

“Most smugglers I’ve met talk about their skills. You actually have them.”

I shrugged, uncomfortable with whatever passed for a compliment from a Vinduthi crime lieutenant. “If I wasn’t good, I’d be dead. Space doesn’t forgive mediocrity.”

Once we cleared the station’s traffic zone, I engaged the FTL drive. The stars stretched into lines around us as theStarfallleapt into hyper speed.

“ETA is about six hours,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “Try not to breathe down my neck the whole time.”

Korvan unbuckled himself from the co-pilot’s seat and stood, stretching to his full height. The top of his head nearly brushed the cockpit ceiling. “Show me the rest of your ship.”

It wasn’t a request.

I bit back the instinctive refusal that rose in my throat. One month, I reminded myself. One month of this, then freedom and a clean slate.

“Fine.” I engaged the autopilot and rose from my seat. “But if you even think about tampering with anything, I’ll jettison you into hyperspace. They say you stay conscious for almost a full minute before your blood boils.”

“Your concern is touching.”

The tour didn’t take long. TheStarfallwasn’t exactly spacious. Main cockpit, small galley, even smaller common area, engine room, my quarters (door firmly closed with a “not part of the tour” dismissal), cargo hold, and the maintenance bay.

Korvan examined everything with critical eyes, asking pointed questions about modifications and upgrades. His interest felt invasive, like he was cataloging weaknesses.

“You’ve made significant alterations to the propulsion system,” he noted as we stood in the engine room. “Non-standard configuration.”

“Gives me better acceleration and a smaller energy signature,” I replied. “Harder to track.”

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