Usual disclaimers apply: I don't own, kudos to those who do.

My first installment into how the stowaway got on board the ship. Part two to follow hopefully soon. Criticsm is good, guidance is better.

A/N: How does one make italics and such on this forum? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> She ran through the dark winding alleys of the Eavesdown Docks. It was a place she knew almost as well as the Common on Isis. Many was the time she’d sat for hours on end, waiting for certain people to stroll past or slip by so she could get a lock on their information. In her business, information and a sharp mind---along with the art of disappearing quickly---were among the greatest assets a Shadow news dealer could possess.

They were gaining. There was no need to even attempt to blend into the bustle of the docks; the place was swarming with unseen eyes looking to snatch her for the bounty she had on her head. She’d been the second person to escape that cachot concret blanche, and in their eyes, that was two too many.

She vaguely remembered the little one that had gone before her---a tiny, lithe little thing that looked much too fragile. Though she had witnessed a couple of the things they had done to her (hell, they had made her watch), she never really got to know even the little one’s name. When she realized that the girl had escaped, a part of her cheered. It gave her hope that she herself could escape that torturous nightmare.

They were closing in now---there were at least three plainclothes that were steadily moving to surround her near the edge of the docks. Two more, clearly bounty hunters, were approaching from the north end of the dock.

If I’m going to pull this off, I’m going to have to hide---fast, she thought. She knew that the Elders would want to know what had happened all those years ago; and what the fate of the other five had been. She tried to push the thought of seeing the “Scarlet Fox” collapsing in that cold white hallway, his blood staining the pristine tile of the floor. She was alone now, and only the Elders could help her.

She began taking slow, cautious steps, acting as if she were merely searching for a destination instead of being hunted like a scared rabbit in the middle of open season. Several of the ships---she smiled as she remembered them being called “boats” once---seemed to be staying somewhat close to the center of the Core, but one, Serenity, was headed out towards the mid-Rim. She casually strolled towards the ship, having given the policier clandestine the slip. She had been amused a bit as they had ended up trying to capture the bounty hunters from the north docks. It gave her a few minutes.

The cargo bay to Serenity was mercifully open, and there was no one in sight. She spotted a small compartiment near the base of the right stair, and she slid silently into it, replacing the metal gridwork that kept it from view. Hopefully, no one would notice that it was full, but for measure she slid all the way to the back end of it. The last thing she needed was to be found out and sold back to those hundan---she knew for certain she would never have the chance to escape that place again.

In what seemed like moments, the cargo bay buzzed with activity. Three people---two men, one woman, all armed---came racing in as if they were being followed. One of the men, clad in no less than eight shades of brown, pounded on a control panel that began closing up the cargo bay doors. “River, we’re on,” he called into a speaker. “Take us out of the world, ma shong”

The pilot---River, she assumed---noted compliance. Within seconds, there was a slight lurch as the ship began its takeoff sequence and made to leave the world. She smiled to herself. These people didn’t know it, but they had saved a life. She only hoped that she could one day return the favor. It was not like Shadows to be indebted to someone, and they often worked hard to repay what they did owe.

She settled in, grateful that there was no loading of cargo. The man in brown---the captain of this ship, she assumed--- had ascended the stairs and gone about his business, and the other two did the same. It was quiet now in the cargo bay, and she decided to try and get a little sleep. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> She woke. She had no idea what time it was, but she knew that three things were certain: it was nighttime (at least, by the ship’s hours), everyone was asleep, and she was starving. She knew that moving out of the compartment could lead to her being caught, but she knew that her growling stomach could give her away before any sound she made in movement could. She thanked a number of deities that Shadows received so much training in becoming and staying invisible, even in plain sight.

Though anything was possible, she decided to chance it and try to find something to take the edge off her rioting stomach. As distrustful as she was of people at this point, her sense told her that this ship held decent people. It wasn’t about what you saw, necessarily---she knew that from experience---but what makes a person what they are. Even the most charming and elegant exterior could house terrifying monsters, and the most dilapidated structure could house unsurpassed kindness. She was lucky to have the ability to read into that before one’s true colors came through. It gave her---and those close to her---an edge.

It was the reason those hundan had stolen her away to that despicable place.

>>>>>>>>>>

Translations:

Chinese:

Dong ma: quickly

Hundan: bastards

French:

cachot concret blanche: White concrete dungeon

policier clandestine: plainclothes

compartiment: compartment