Lana felt her face heating and wanted to vehemently protest that. But then Dax winked at her, and she realized he understood her feelings and was playing along. Of course, being winked at by someone who looked like a stranger felt a bit strange, too.
Belix and Barix's disguises weren't nearly as pronounced. They'd simply put on some sort of high-tech eyewear that apparently allowed them to see clearly in all spectrums and in all lighting, and even gave sensor information about the things they looked at, including biometric and forensics details. Apparently it wasn't uncommon for Ishivi to go with the technological advantage, and they were playing the part.
As for the slight man's light brown hair and the elfin woman's platinum blond, they'd simply donned hoods that could apparently extend to completely cover their heads beneath the eyewear, extending into full bodysuits beneath their uniforms. Those were apparently defensive measures against the sort of biological attacks Ishivi normally employed, and were all the disguise they needed.
Although Lana couldn't help but wonder if they should be flaunting what they were like this. “Won't having Ishivi with us draw attention?” she asked instead of responding to Belix's joke.
“Not as much as you'd think,” Barix said coolly. “The Movement couldn't have won the war without our ships and especially our Constructs, so we have a favorable status in their little empire now. Thanks to that, our people are showing up more and more frequently in Deek territory, taking every opportunity to enjoy being at the top echelons of society for more than just our superior genetics. We even feel secure enough to waltz around safe spaceports like this one without Constructs for protection, which is a good thing or we'd have to dress the gunner up for the part.”
Lana stiffened indignantly, patting Dax's hand in reassurance even though he didn't seem bothered by the slight man's words.
“Ready to make the jump,” Ali abruptly announced. “I've opted for a closer approach, since that'll be less suspicious.” Lana couldn't help but think it also meant they'd have a harder time getting away if things didn't go smoothly, although nobody mentioned that.
Aiden just nodded. “Our spoofed Capitulation IFF?”
“Checked and triple checked,” Barix said, then added sourly. “Which your sex robot can confirm, since I'm sure you had her check my work.”
The captain ignored that, easing the ship forward. “Let's go, then.”
Lana felt a light tickle in her brain as they passed through the rift, the discomfort of leaving spacetime and the rules of reality her mind was familiar with, then just as quickly returning. Ali had told her she handled rift travel better than most, and she couldn't help but feel glad about that.
The display changed in an instant on the other side of the rift, showing them near a cheerful looking green and blue planet with icons marking the spaceports orbiting it. Aiden immediately turned the ship towards the larger of them, meant for commercial travel and trade, while Ali got to work transmitting their intentions to dock and come aboard.
“Station is demanding routine confirmation of our IFF,” the companion said. “Pinging back spoofed authentication information for the Capitulation.”
A heavy silence followed the announcement. This was the most dangerous part, where things had the biggest chance of going wrong. And for Lana, at least, the tension wasn't helped by the fact that whenever she looked to Dax for reassurance, she found a stranger with eerie silvery eyes staring back at her. Sure, a part of her knew it was really him under that convincing disguise, but that didn't do much for her nerves as the seconds dragged by.
Finally Ali stirred, voice still maddeningly calm and professional. “Receiving response to our authentication ping from Station Control. Unpacking it through the isolated communications node.” That was one of the security precautions they were taking, that any direct communications were handled through a separate device that didn't touch the ship's computer or any other systems.
Supposedly, that analog protection from digital attack was foolproof.
A few tense seconds passed as the companion looked at the station's response on her display, rather than simply directly downloading it into her consciousness. Lana couldn't help but fidget nervously, wondering if the impossibly beautiful woman was deliberately dragging this out to drive them crazy.
Finally, the companion continued. “We've received a canned message welcoming us to the Ceras 2 Global Conglomerate Trade Port, and flight approach and docking instructions.”
Lana took her first breath in what felt like a minute. “So that's it, right? They bought that we're the light freighter Capitulation?”
Aiden grunted. “That, or they're pretending they did until we're well within range of their defensive turrets. At which point they'll blow us from the sky.”
She swallowed at that unpleasant possibility, and couldn't help but notice that as the captain spoke, he was manipulating the controls to put them on the course the station had given them. “And you're, um, still going to take us there?”
Belix snorted. “These station security types aren't particularly devious or imaginative, and they don't take chances that might mean extra paperwork, or getting canned if they screw up badly enough. If they thought there was something fishy about us, they would've given some hint they did. Some blustering message about maneuvering to a rendezvous with a security vessel, for a closer inspection of our ship.”
“What if they specifically know we're the Last Stand?” Lana asked.
The elfin woman shrugged. “Then they probably would lure us in and blow us into subatomic particles. But how could they possibly know who we are? Huffing clairvoyant dust from a magical space whale?”
Lana gave her friend an uncertain look. “That's not really a thing, is it?”
Belix laughed. “Oh, Lana, you're just the best ever.”
The station's guns didn't shoot them as they followed the assigned course and docked at the designated berth. The place had a different construction from Midpoint's: rather than a donut shape, it
