Over the next several days, Cris embraced his place in the Exler's crew and set aside thoughts of his old life. By sheer will, he fell into the ways of space and vowed to leave behind his former existence. He spent long hours in the flight deck with Thom, hanging on every word of the captain's stories. As Thom promised, Cris was never asked intrusive questions and he never pressed Thom.

His daily activities were nothing like his schooling on Tararia, and Cris relished the change. By ship's day, he kept Thom company in the flight deck while they traversed the vast network connecting the star systems. It was the first real contact Cris had ever had with the impressive SiNavTech infrastructure, and he couldn't help but feel pride for what his family had built over the generations.

As the days stretched on, Cris incrementally improved his skills with Fastara. He could only win one in twenty games against Thom-if the captain got a particularly bad draw-but it was progress. Ultimately, the win rate didn't matter; life was good if the biggest decision he had to make was regarding which card to play.

The jumps toward Gallos grew monotonous. By the end, Cris was ready to see more than the four rooms where he'd spent the majority of his time for the last two weeks. Though some of their stopovers were near space stations, Thom insisted it wasn't worth the docking fees to berth. They were confined to the Exler until they reached their destination.

The final jumps went by quickly, knowing they were nearing the end. When they dropped out of subspace after the last jump, Cris' heart leaped with excitement as he glimpsed the distant outline of a sprawling space station. Gallos. Finally.

He had learned from Thom that the Gallos System was a commercial hub for the surrounding colonies. Its central space station dwarfed even the massive port at Tararia. There were rambling offshoots in every direction, seemingly constructed to meet ad hoc demands for expansion over the years. The result was a daunting labyrinth of corridors and gangways where Cris imagined a person could get lost and never be seen again. He gulped.

"We have a docking reservation where our client is meeting us," Thom stated. "I'll go to the Makaris field office later today to talk about a distribution contract."

"What should I do?" Cris asked.

Thom rubbed his chin. "Are you interested in staying on with me?"

He's been good to me, even if it's been a little boring at times. I can't imagine a much better setup. Cris nodded. "If you'll have me."

"I can offer you continued room and board, plus five percent of my profits."

That's probably a terrible deal, but I don't need the money. "That works."

Thom seemed surprised. "Okay, well good. You've been great company. It'll be nice having you around."

I guess that really makes me an official member of the crew. "Do you want me to come with you to the Makaris meeting?"

"No, best leave that to me. Take some time to wander around and enjoy yourself. We'll head out in a couple of days."

They finished docking with the station and Cris was soon left to fend for himself. He took some time to shower in the shared washroom and change into clean clothes before venturing from the Exler.

The space station was a completely different environment than the port at Tararia. It was immediately apparent that the pace was slower, with individuals and small groups strolling as they talked business or caught up on personal lives. Cris found it easy to walk off the Exler and wander down the corridor without coming close to anyone else.

At first, he couldn't resist sneaking a few telepathic probes on the passersby. Most minds were preoccupied with business dealings or the other mundane aspects of life. He was tempted to look deeper and stretch the skills he kept in check around his friends, but he held back. It's not polite to pry, friend or not.

And while telepathy was a practical skill, what he really desired was to learn telekinesis. Thus far, all of his attempts at object levitation had been non-starters. He knew he needed instruction, and a spaceport in the outer territories might be his best bet to find a teacher to get him started. As much as he'd like to join the TSS and get official training, reaching out to them would give away his position to Tararian authorities—granting him a one-way ticket on a transport back home. Keeping a low profile was his safest option, even if it meant taking longer to reach his goals.

As he made his way down the hallway, foot traffic slowly picked up. After a short while, he found himself at an intersection with what appeared to be a central mall. Shops lined the broad corridor, with merchants barking their wares.

There were significantly more people in the shopping district compared to the docking area near the Exler. People with every variety of skin tone and feature, dressed in all manner of clothing styles, were going about their business. The hum of conversation filled the space, making it feel lively without being frantic.

Now this is what I had imagined. Cris looked around in wonder. The colorful storefronts with illuminated signs and attention-grabbing holographic gimmicks stretched on for as far as he could see in both directions, broken up only by other side corridors to the various docking wings. There's so much to explore! He made note of the shops near the Exler's docking location so he could find his way back, then arbitrarily set off down the mall to his right.

As he strolled, there was a slow change in his surroundings-so subtle that he didn't notice at first. The vibrant colors and flashy ads gave way to metal signs with static typography. The wording on most of these signs was vague, such as "Sundries from far and wide" or "Trade, Barter and Pawn." The people also changed. Though still covering the spectrum of physical traits, their clothing was more worn and they appeared to be constantly evaluating the value of everything they surveyed.

Cris was so taken in by the freedom to wander on his own that he didn't realize he was growing increasingly anxious under the scrutinizing gaze of the shopkeepers and their patrons. When he finally became aware of his surroundings, he realized he stood out from the few people left roaming the corridor. Maybe it's time to get out of sight for a while and do some shopping.

One of the shops off to Cris' left caught his eye. The printed sign boasted discount ships and parts. How discounted? Maybe I could buy my own ship one day and have real autonomy. He decided to investigate.

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