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capable crew.”
    â€œShe turned a spaceship over to someone who isn’t even a ship officer?” His eyebrows had shot up, almost comically.
    Stella nodded. “But I’m a family member, you see. She said a Vatta ship had to have a Vatta captain.”
    â€œThat’s hardly fair to you. How are you supposed to know what to do? What if something goes wrong?” He had taken on the protective tone she knew so well from her father; her eyes filled without her intent even as she recognized that she had found a point of contact.
    â€œI do worry about that,” Stella said, blinking back the tears. “But I’ve been reading the manuals, and I do have a very capable senior engineer. Of course, I plan to hire more crew here—and maybe one of the Vatta ships on this circuit will come in while I’m here.”
    â€œShe shouldn’t have done it,” Knae said. “She put you in a very dangerous position.”
    â€œI know,” Stella said. “I was scared stiff most of the time. But what else could we do? That horrible man was trying to kill us—” It was almost too easy to play the helpless, immature beauty for this man; she was annoyed with herself for the ease with which she fell into the role.
    As Knae continued to question her about their voyage, about Ky, about Osman, about the mercenaries, Stella struggled with her own feelings. She and Ky had talked about the family disaster only in brief snatches, information-only. This was the first time she had told the story straight through, from the attack on her family back on Slotter Key through the attacks by Osman. She felt like two Stellas: one in control, carefully manipulating tone of voice and expression to have the best effect on the officials questioning her, and one adrift in waves of emotion she had not taken the time to recognize. From the first, she had been reacting or doing what she was told—by Aunt Grace, by Rafe, by Ky.
    Those minutes—was it only minutes?—she had lain on the bunk with a sack over her head came back to her with terrifying intensity. It was hard to breathe, even now, when she thought of it; the fear dominated everything…when was he coming? Would Ky be able to stop him?
    Knae kept on asking detailed questions, some she couldn’t answer, questions she now understood were important in many ways. But in the brief time between waking from the stun to her implant and Ky’s leaving for the other ship, she hadn’t asked enough questions, or the right questions. Ky should have told her, somehow, exactly what had happened and how; Ky should have understood that she was too dazed by events to take in everything right away.
    Her control slipped; she felt more tears on her face, and knew she was shaking.
    Knae’s face softened and his voice was gentler as he asked, “Can anyone confirm any of this? Even your crew?”
    â€œQuincy could. Quincy Robin. She’s as old as the ship, near enough, she’s been with Vatta all her life.” Stella took a deep breath and managed to steady her voice. “Our escorts certainly know about attacks on Vatta ships and personnel—they witnessed attacks on us at Lastway. Lieutenant Commander Johannson will confirm what happened from Lastway to here.”
    Finally they seemed to have run out of questions. Knae looked at the others, who looked back and shrugged.
    â€œI need to get to the bank,” Stella said. “If you don’t mind?”
    â€œGo ahead…but don’t leave the station without permission.”
    â€œI wouldn’t know how,” Stella said, smiling at them. She wondered how Ky would have fared, when even her beauty had barely softened their attitude.

“I ’m sure you don’t want someone you’ve never seen before trying to get access to corporate accounts,” Stella said, putting full force charm into her voice. The Crown & Spears account manager nodded, eyes