“I’ve confirmed another vessel in the area. Initial analysis suggests it is moving in our direction.”
“Keep an eye on it, Aru.” The odds of running into another ship after a week of travel were … well, Corwin couldn’t have said for sure, but they were astronomical. Even at the slow speeds they were enduring, they’d still covered considerable distance from Haruna’s system.
He pulled on a mask; the cargo bay had been low on Aru’s priority repair list, and he didn’t want to find out the hard way that there was nothing to breathe back there. The bot had ensured everything was sealed, but that wouldn’t be much help if weak spots had broken into new breaches since they’d gotten underway.
He flipped on the cargo bay’s lighting and opened the hatch. It looked much like it had on Haruna’s surface, if somewhat better lit than he remembered; a large, cavernous space, still dim even with the lighting, and empty save for a few scrounged parts Aru had loaded and the bot’s repair chassis. The arrangement of the bay’s bulkheads had stuck in his head, though, and he made his way over the deck to a particular area, avoiding loose or missing access panels and exposed wiring as he went.
“Trajectory confirmed. Vessel is approaching at high speed and slowing for interception.”
Corwin’s heart sank. He’d better have been right about this ship.