When he had gathered enough to last several days, he paused and grabbed several other containers that he could seal; he’d noticed that there were no bathroom facilities in the compartment. Then he grabbed the tablet and blanched.
“Alert! Advance boarding craft detected! ETA 5 minutes!” Aru had been trying to get his attention—for 6 minutes.
“Alert! Corwin, get to your compartment! They’re cutting through the hull!”
“Where are they coming through?”
“Crew bunks.”
“Oh s—” he started to say and growled with frustration and hesitation. That would put them right between him and the safety of the cargo bay and its hidden compartment. “ETA for the bigger ship to arrive?”
“12 standard minutes.”