4

We should probably keep moving," said Kelwarin, turning his head slightly as he spoke.

They'd been walking for hours now, following Tallulah to the edge of an unknown sector, never stopping or slowing their pace.

The young woman frowned, giving her captain a questioning look. It was hard to see in the dim lighting of the night sky, but he saw her pursed lips clearly enough.

"We need to avoid any patrols or Imperials in these parts," he elaborated, "as well as any other obstacles we might encounter. If we try to fight our way through, there's a good chance that either we would fail miserably and run the risk of capture, or be killed outright by an enemy patrol. Either way, both of those situations are undesirable, so it would be best to minimize risks. Besides," he added, a hint of bitterness coloring his words, "the only reason we haven't been caught already is that we were lucky. There's not many who can navigate this part of the galaxy at night without being spotted by Imperials. In fact, it's fairly likely that nobody knows this area exists, since it's rarely explored beyond the outer fringes of the imperial fleet. Which means that it's relatively easy to bypass the patrols, and that also means that it's practically untraceable."

Tallulah's frown deepened. "If that's true, Captain, why did you decide to come along on this expedition anyway?"

Kelwarin shrugged indifferently. "Curiosity, I suppose. I don't get out very often. This is a great opportunity to spend some time exploring something new."

"You could've gone with someone else."

Kelwarin shrugged again. "I don't mind spending a few days alone when I'm away from duty."

"That sounds awfully lonely."

"Maybe I'm just used to it." For a moment, an image of Malika filled Kelwarin's vision briefly. Despite his lack of interest in her, he couldn't deny the way her presence made him feel, even just for an instant. A strange sense of longing for her came to the forefront of his mind, almost as strong as if he had actually seen her. He shook his head slightly to dispel the feeling, hoping that it would fade soon.

He looked at Tallulah, expecting to see a trace of amusement on her face, but found nothing but serious concern etched across her features. "Didn't you ever think that perhaps leaving the Fleet was a mistake?"

Kelwarin blinked at her in surprise. Had he not considered such a possibility? After all, he had only been assigned to his current post because there were no openings available to fill it. However, it certainly hadn't occurred to him that she would take such a statement the opposite way. Perhaps this was exactly what she intended him to think. "Why would you ask that?" He questioned warily, trying to gauge her intent.

Tallulah's gaze never left his. "Because I've come across a lot of stories about ships disappearing mysteriously, and crews dying horribly in these parts."

Kelwarin took a breath to steady himself. It was true that most of the stories he had read about space pirates were exaggerated, but he doubted that she believed in that same kind of stuff. As far as he knew, there were only five crew members who had managed to escape from a ship that was supposed to be under Imperial control; none of them survived to tell their tale. "I have never heard of anyone surviving from a ship like that," he said flatly.

"But that's not what happened," insisted the female officer.

"Then what happened?"

Tallulah remained quiet for a few seconds before speaking. "I'll tell you the story if you promise to hear me out. You won't like it though, so I warn you in advance."

Kelwarin nodded in agreement.

Tallulah'