Kayl's stomach churned as the train pulled them through Pimetha's network of rocky tunnels on towards the port. Growing up in the Delegation's isolated palace, he was rarely near more than a few people at a time excepting Delegation meetings and ceremonies where there were about a hundred in attendance. Even then, he and Kayla were so heavily guarded at such events that people rarely came nearer than a few meters - after the Supervisors' approval of course.

They had only arrived at Pimetha Station early yesterday. When the bay doors of the old, stale starliner they had taken from the Delra system had slid open, Kayl could barely cope with the scene that greeted them. In stark contrast to his home, the port was so congested that one had to search through a sea of heads to see the face of someone a few meters away. He and Solace deboarded and melted into the cacophonous throng of people to exit the port via the train station that would take them to the dormitories. He tried his best to stay close to his guard, but every body moved through the seemingly endless terminal at a slow unyielding shuffle, shoulder-to-shoulder. The collective pressure and body heat acting on him was stifling, and unlike anything Kayl had ever experienced. There was no escaping it, no shortcut or detour - just an unending stretch of gates and kiosks and passengers.

His panic was so great he couldn't breathe, and mere minutes after they started their journey down the terminal Solace had to pull him aside to a stagnant area along another starliner gate, which functioned as a waiting area for passenger boarding. Between gasps he refused to continue until she found an alternate way. Solace clasped his shoulder and held his gaze intently.

"My Lord Delegate," she said, her voice fighting to be heard above the chaos, "the only way out is through. I'm sorry."

Resolve held the features of her face like armature wire and his heart sank. Yet again, he did not have the luxury of a choice in the situation, which clearly would not change and he would trap them in that port forever if they did not move on. He steeled himself and they continued on for a few minutes more, only to pull off to the side, catch a breath, and move on again. They continued in this way for an hour until they finally made it to the end, each respite Solace patiently faced the pressing crowds on-guard as Kayl leaned against the wall and calmed himself.

The train car doors screeched open, breaking him from his racing thoughts. His breath caught in his chest in an embarrassingly pitiful shudder. Behind him Solace spoke in his ear, "You'll do much better this time, I know it." Her tone was droll but underneath he knew she was encouraging him. Then, with as much mercy as an ocean wave she pushed him through the doors and into the crowd before he could call her a liar.

Solace spoke louder. "See that sign with the commerce symbol about two hundred meters ahead?  That's the transfer line to the cargo terminal. If we get separated, take that to the terminal and wait for me at dock E."

Kayl's heart rate quickened at the thought of maneuvering through the port alone. He turned his head slightly so she could see his frown. "Well why aren't you holding on to my shirt or something so that doesn't happen?" he demanded. His face was getting hot, whether from anger or panic or both he didn't know.

She was just close enough behind for him to hear her chuckle, but he did feel the firm tug of her grasping a small fold of his shirt. "Yes, my lord."

He snapped his head back and fixed his gaze at the sign she had indicated.

Right. This time no stopping. 

He survived the next fifteen minutes of torturous shuffling by resolving to block as much stimuli as possible. Yesterday his mistake was stoking his fear by soaking in every stimulus to identify any threat to himself. He had searched every face that passed, identified the source of every nudge or shove, deciphered conversations in every language he knew. Solace had pointed out later that night that all these things were adding fuel to the anxious fire that was overheating his brain. 

"Let me worry about the threats, I have senses enough for both of us. You focus on one target and count until you arrive," she had coached him.

His teeth clenched until his jaw hurt but he kept his mind laser-focused on the sign and its growing proximity, blurring every detail around him, counting the seconds until it was over. On count six-hundred-and-two, they were directly under the target and Solace tugged him into the side corridor that would lead them to the cargo terminal. They had finally peeled away from the main throng and Kayl breathed deeply in the cool, sterile air of the unpopulated space. He shook himself off like a soaked animal, interrupting the electric sensations that had been crawling through his back and limbs.

"...Does nobody use the cargo terminal?" he asked, keeping his back to the now-diminishing chaos of the crowds. "There's nobody here."

Solace passed him and headed to the end of the corridor where a small dock allowed accesso to a small unmanned transfer car. "Not many. Typically only those looking to sign on with a freighter crew."

Kayl followed her and they boarded the car, which hummed to life and lurched forward into the dimly lit tunnel.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Kayl asked, "What's at dock E?"

Solace's dark lips were pressed into a thin line, her fangs behind them faintly outlined. "Our only chance to leave Pimetha for the next four days."

Her expression did not improve. "There were three options, my lord," she answered grimly, "but I checked the docking log while we were en route this morning to discover one option has been detained in port customs indefinitely and another option left the docking bay early."

Kayl chewed his lip, the reality of missing their chance to leave Pimetha weighed on him. "How do you feel about this last option?"

"Based on what I've been able to dig up, I only know that it's a small crew and a big ship, so recruiting more help wouldn't look questionable. Also, as of last quarter their reported income was very low due to unfulfilled commitments, so they'll likely be desperate for easy work and eager to keep a low profile. However," she started, then paused for a moment, "I don't like that I haven't been able to uncover many details about the crew members or their past jobs - successful and failed alike - which almost certainly means they have someone powerful or clever covering their tracks."

"...and that's...bad for us?"

She nodded. "It will be more difficult to take them out and commandeer the ship if the need arises. Based on their lack of recommendation from any reputable clients and a few scathing complaints, they seem to be be a crew of bungling sandmonkeys. But even sandmonkeys are hard to kill if they have the support of someone that competent."

In his heart of hearts, Kayl prayed that Solace would not need to execute the entire crew. As the wind kicked up by the speed of the transport car buffeted his face, he felt a bit of shame that it was primarily for one silly reason:  operating a freighter was not a one-person job, and he had never touched the controls of a vehicle in his life.