If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Renaya had never heard the old earth saying, but it fit her as well as it fit any highborn Serilline and better than most. All her life the girl had never had to worry about anything so petty as money or buying things. Money was simply a thing that there<i>was</i>; she had people to think about this for her, and though she was a mite concerned at his reports of a coup attempt, she didn't dream for a moment that it could be successful. No, for now her primary goal was to get off world and out from the threat of being taken hostage by those who could use her against her family. In the process of which, she had agreed to become the first confirmed Serilline slave in a thousand years. "What are you doing, Ren?"she asked herself rhetorically.<br/><br/>She trailed along behind her temporary master as he returned to the bridge and leaned against the wall of the corridor where she could just see around the hatch combing but was safely out of sight from any visual feeds the Captain might engage. She might tell herself she was there to hear and understand what was going on, but in truth she was more interested in getting a measure of this person she'd been forced to build ties with. He was unusually strong-willed for a human, almost unnaturally so but she supposed each race must have its outliers as well as its followers.<br/><br/>Maybe this whole experience would be educational for her?<br/><br/>The connection swam and resolved to present an impeccably dressed Serilline highborn in black Fleet uniform, Second Fleet flashes and Asaring blood-crest bright on each shoulder. By the rank rings, he was the Fleet Captain of the<i>Supremacy</i>and undoubtedly very bored if he was addressing a single craft suspected of smuggling. "Captain McToimilin, your ship has been detected leaving a class four restricted zone. We have no quarrel with the human protectorate, and provided your ship passes all clearances I feel confident we can see you on your way without further restriction." He gestured to something out of shot, and on the Terran's screen a shuttle broke away from the battleship and arced towards<i>Aurora</i>.<br/><br/>"Please provide all assistance during the inspection and I am sure we won't need to speak again."