Nino knelt in front of the mangled pile of spaceship, his shoulders slumped and his fingers curled into the dusty earth. It looked as if a giant had come along and pulled the ship apart, flinging bits of metal all over the valley. Except Nino knew that no giants had been involved. Volpina—the wanted criminal he’d been chasing—had simply caught him off guard and now here he was stranded on this barren blip of a planet. No bounty, no way to pursue, not even a snack to ease the rumblings of his stomach. All of it had gone up in flames.
He picked up a sheet of metal near his knee. The word Wayzz was painted on top in vivid green, though the second Z was a bit charred. “I’m sorry, Wayzz,” he murmured. “You served me well, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure you live again.”
He’d salvage as much as he could. Turn it into Wayzz II. It was the least he could do for the ship that had been his partner for all these years.
But first he had to get off this planet.
A shadow fell over him, easing the harsh sun that beat against his back. “Need a lift?” a woman asked.
