Sable had been curled in a ball of grief for hours in the Cerberus' mess hall, inside a particular type of storage bench she knew well from her work in the factory. After laying low to ensure she truly lost the patrol's pursuit, Sable had stowed away on the Cerberus. Under usual circumstances, she would have talked to the Captain and asked for a ride first, but that was too risky. The patrols would randomly search cargo ships to make sure nothing illegal was going on. They were sure to investigate them all now due to them looking for her. Sable also did not want them asking questions about her injury that she couldn't hide. It was not like people went walking around with a laser gun wound all the time. Money was another reason. In her rush to escape the patrol, she had neglected to grab any money. Sable was a broke fugitive orphan now. A new round of tears almost overtook her, and Sable shook it off. She would just have to hope that the Captain would understand once they were on the way to Earth.
Having never been to Earth, Sable wondered what it would be like. She was born on Planet 981 and had only been to a couple planets close by when her mother was alive. The sound of the mess hall doors sliding open broke her train of thought.
Sable froze and held her breath as five sets of footsteps entered the hall. From the heavy sound of the steps, she figured they were all male.
"…and this is the mess hall, obviously. Search to your heart's content. I would like to leave by midnight, but if you need more time, I will always comply with the patrol, of course." Sable heard the deep rich male voice talk to the patrol through the lid of the bench that she had barely propped open. Silently begging that the patrol was like everyone else and did not realize the benches had storage space, she held her breath and did not move a muscle.
Sable used to make these benches years ago, and she knew that the latch was well hidden, which had caused a lot of people to have no idea that it had a whole storage area inside the bench. The bench went out of production very quickly due to a lack of sales. She had always thought they should have let people know about the space somehow, like marketing, but she was now very thankful that they did not. Another missed marketing opportunity with these storage benches was that they were air-tight, which is why Sable had left hers cracked. Otherwise, she would have suffocated in there.
"Can I ask what you may be looking for, Officer?" the Captain inquired as the patrol thoroughly searched the room.
"There was a murder, and the suspect escaped. We have reason to believe the suspect has stowed away on one of the ships leaving at the launch tonight. You wouldn't happen to have seen anyone suspicious, would you? Notice anyone hanging around your ship or hear anything strange?"
Fear filled Sable knowing that they were still looking for her. If they caught her, she would be light hanged for sure. If you looked guilty on Planet 981, then you were guilty. They didn't waste the precious resources of the poor planet investigating a murder. They just hanged you if they thought you were guilty. Having seen the brutality of a light hanging once, Sable was not about to take any chances.
"No, sir. Maybe if I had a description, I could help you out better. What did the bastard look like?"
The officer laughed at the Captain's question. "Well, the bastard is about 5'6" with long black hair, light eyes, probably blue, maybe green. About seventeen, I think." Sable avoids scoffing at the fact that he underestimated her age. She was twenty-two, but now was not the time for indignation. "And the best T&A I have ever seen." The officer chuckles at his crude joke, and Sable rolls her eyes. Pig. "Oh, and she was shot in the left arm or shoulder."
"Oh…well, I think I would have remembered that. I can say for sure I have not seen your suspect, sir."
Now Sable would have to convince the Captain that she had nothing to do with her father's death. That was just what she needed. It was bad enough she was a poor injured stow away, now she was a potential murderer. Hopefully, he was a friendly old guy that had kids of his own.
"Ok, Captain Sage, I think we looked everywhere unless you can point us to somewhere we might have missed?"
Immediately, Sable's heart was in her throat. Hopefully, the Captain doesn't know about this hideout either.
"Nope, you have done a thorough search, sir."
"Thank you for your corporation. If you see anything suspicious before you take off, please let us know."
"Of course."
With that, all five sets of footsteps exited the mess hall, and Sable's heart rate returned to normal. The Cerberus should be departing soon, and then she figured she should probably stay here in hiding the whole ride. At least as long as she could so they were not tempted to take her back. The Captain still might contact the patrol on Earth when they arrived, but at least she might have a chance to escape, especially if she can stay hidden the whole trip. She had no idea how long it took to get to Earth. At least the storage space was reasonably comfortable.
***
Cerberus had launched about an hour ago, heading steadily toward Earth. Captain Andrew Sage sat in his captain's chair on the deck, contemplating what needed to be done.
"Was that about..." Kingston James, Captain Sage's first mate, started to question before the Captain cut him off.
"No, but we need to talk now in my office," Drew ordered his first mate.
When they were securely in his soundproof sealed office, Drew considered for a minute where to start.
"So what is going on then?" First Mate James asked, always the impatient one.
"There was a murder earlier, and the patrol was searching for their suspect. Thankfully they are not very good at their jobs. At least for us. We still may have a problem, though. It is possible the suspect has found one of our spots and stowed herself away there. So, for now, I want you to let the crew know that we are on code black. Don't mention the potential stowaway."
"Yes, sir."
"You are dismissed, Kingston."
Kingston James left Drew alone to contemplate in his office. Drew wondered why a seventeen-year-old girl would kill someone. He knew 981 was a rough planet, probably why they called it Hazard Rock, but the thought of a young girl killing someone didn't sit right with him even though he had seen his fair share of evil. Drew had to find out if she was here before she found something she was not supposed to. Involving his crew in a search could be a mistake, so he would start looking himself. Hopefully, wherever she was, the patrol did not find her. On a poverty-stricken planet like Hazard Rock, they did not waste government funds on justice for the people. She would, without doubt, be executed immediately if they found her.
How did they execute people on Hazard Rock? Light whips? Android dismemberment? Pulse stoning? Drew shook off the thought because whatever way an improvised planet like 981 accomplished capital punishment, it was sure to be horrific.
Growling from his stomach made Drew realize that he had not eaten today. Thankfully, they were already underway. He needed to get some food in him before he started his search for the possible stowaway. Captain Sage headed to the mess hall.