Slip Point Read Online Free Page B

way to this station. She and Jayce had joked it was a sign they were meant to lead spacefarers’ lives. And here she was, already on her second space flight. She wished she could share it with him.
    He might be on a ship, too, only his destination would be a Corps training camp. She told herself she was happy for him, even as she fiercely blinked back tears.
    Thana excused herself to her cabin, and Shayalin retreated as well. She curled up on the berth under the safety webbing and tried desperately not to miss Jayce, despite the hollow in her heart.
    The ship hummed as it undocked. She spread her fingers on the wall, letting the vibrations thrum their way down her arm as though setting into her bones a reminder of what she wanted. Jayce was lost to her, and so was her chance at the Corps. She had to find something else to drive toward. Silently, she willed the Alioqui to move faster. And as though on cue, she felt the blurring sensation that was the slip point entry. It felt like being forced through a needle’s eye, although with an impossible fluidity.
    They reached the station without incident, as promised by the ship’s record. Shayalin knew the names of each crewmember by the time she disembarked, as well as the stories of two passengers besides Thana. They led lives that would have thrilled her back on Centuris, but only two slip points out, she was already looking for something grander.
    Although she was tempted to wander the station, she went straight to a public console, pulled up a directory and looked up travel agents. This time she wasn’t looking for the lowest fare or safest route. Remembering what Thana had said, she passed over ones that looked too upscale and found some smaller operations. She messaged them about the possibility of booking a trip to Urioq.
    Most of them warned her of the danger, but a couple took an optimistic tone, saying that since their shipping lane had just been hit by pirates, they were likely safe now. Shayalin wasn’t counting on it, and in fact was hoping the dread pirate would strike twice in the same place. She just had to present too tempting a target for him to pass up.
    One simply replied that there were many options she’d be happy to discuss. Shayalin noted the location of that one, navigated the station’s levels and subsectors and found the office. She stepped in.
    A woman with a shock of close-cropped hair and elegantly arched brows looked up. She smiled saucily at Shayalin. “Looking for a ride?”
    What had the bartender called it? Swagger. This woman had it in spades.
    “Yes. To Urioq.”
    “You messaged me earlier, didn’t you? Didn’t provide much detail, though.” The agent tapped something into her console. “Were you looking for luxury, speed, price?”
    “It has to be a secure route,” Shayalin said. She tightened her grip on her pack strap, self-conscious about the gesture.
    The woman looked at her with new interest. “You a courier?”
    She nodded, relieved she’d succeeded in giving that impression.
    “What happened to your ship?”
    “The pilot was…compromised. Besides, something that flashy would’ve drawn too much attention.” She’d discarded half a dozen lines before settling on this one as suitably vague but within the realm of possibility.
    The woman pursed her lips. “I think I know just the ship for you. The Palinuros will get there the soonest—no slip, but it’s leaving within the hour on a direct route.”
    “How much?”
    “I can get you a special deal.” The price she named was special indeed, but not for its bargain nature.
    “I didn’t expect to have to pay for another passage,” Shayalin said, her sheep-bargaining instincts rising. “And it’s almost a shuttle hop from Balba. I’ll give you half that.”
    The woman grimaced. “Can’t you expense it? Leave me some commission!”
    Shayalin hoped the agent would be collecting an extra commission elsewhere by reporting this activity to pirates. Hopefully her