Not yet.
I crack the door open with one hand, keeping the knife low and ready.
She stands alone, wrapped in that tattered coat of hers, eyes sharp, mouth pressed into a grim line.
"It's clear," she says low. "Let me in."
I yank the door open wider, dragging her inside fast before someone sees.
She moves quick, setting down a satchel that clinks with the sound of ration packs and spare charges.
The kids stare at her with wide, silent eyes.
Kelli stands, arms folded, jaw tight.
"What's wrong?" she asks.
Silpha scans the room once, quick, then plants her hands on her hips.
"Opportunity," she says. "But it isn’t free."
I cross my arms.
"Talk."
Silpha jerks her chin toward the table.
We crowd around, the kids hovering close to Kelli’s legs.
"I got word from a freighter captain," she says, laying out a battered datapad. "No loyalty to Petru. No questions asked."
She taps the screen, showing a map of the lower docks.
"They're willing to take you off Glimner. Disappear you so deep even Petru’s rats won't sniff you out."
Hope flares hard and sharp in my chest before I can beat it down.
"But," she says grimly, "it's in one week. Docking schedules, bribes, fuel permits. You can't rush this."
Kelli blows out a breath, sagging a little against the table.
"A week," she repeats, voice flat.
Silpha nods.
"A week," she says. "You don't make it, you don't get another shot."
I run a hand through my hair, jaw grinding.
A week.
Might as well be a damn lifetime in a place like this.
Petru’s men were already sniffing around.
We could survive seven more days... or we could bleed out in a gutter for trying.
No in-between.
