Rover’s medical bay was a run-of-the-mill body scanner, with basic repair functions and a short-term stasis unit. Lionel spent most of his free time either tinkering on Harriet’s programmes or creating new tech toys like Searcher so everything else merely met its function which he was slightly regretful of after this trip.

  He looked across at his healed shoulder and furrowed his brow in concern. Dried blood and sweat still caked his arm but the injury was gone. Definitely an odd trip to say the least.

  Lionel stepped into the cylindrical tube and secured the band around his waist.

  “Ready. Set. Go.” He whispered pressing the screen to activate the machine. He closed his eyes and was instantly lifted from the base, laying into a horizontal position as various lasers rotated around him. He felt a pinch on his left arm as a tiny needle pierced his skin followed by a sharp sterile smell filling the tube. The entire interaction took approximately fifteen minutes. And he was unstrapping himself when he heard Harriet’s soothing voice.

  I have identified various upgrades to your system.

  So it was true, he hadn’t imagined the new title: Dragon Rider.

  He shuddered remembering his first unintended flight. He wasn’t in a hurry for a second round.

  I’ve detected several new perks including an increased healing rate, possibility for faster movements, reaction times, internal bodily upgrades specifically but not limited to your lung capacity, new speech and language pathways available and underdeveloped magic channels.

  I have checked the mainframe and there is no current or historic record of these upgrades.

  “So I really can speak to Aura?”

  Very interesting.

  He wasn’t sure if she was responding to her assessment or his question but it didn’t matter.

  “Yes.” Her voice answered quietly in his head from the other room.

  He ran his hands through his hair. He felt out of control of things and he didn’t like it. This was because of the vanguard: he planned to start there.

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  He took a moment to change his shirt, selecting an official captain’s jacket in place of his stained shirt and hoped he had gathered his thoughts enough.

  But who was he fooling? He was still stumped at Dragon Rider.

  He strode onto the main deck to confront Aura.

  The moment he saw her he knew he was unprepared. She was waiting for him, her scales iridescent in the ship’s evening lighting. She was majestic, even as a hatchling she dwarfed him in power and speed. He straightened his spine.

  “Is it true? Am I your dragon rider?”

  He had fully intended to question her about the vanguard but that’s not what he needed answers for.

  “Yes.”

  He felt a flood of unexpected excitement and tamped down on it. Was that her feelings, was she pleased about this? Had she intended for this to happen?

  “Why?”

  “You are interesting. I could sense you even when I was an egg. And once I hatched you have mostly lived up to expectations.”

  Mostly?

  “Do not be discouraged. We will learn together. I will help you find better scales so that you don’t get tangled in.”

  He had no idea what she was talking about.

  “You said it was too soon?”

  “Yes! I’m glad you heard me even then! It is a good sign!” She had a flash of pride, “I had a sense that most riders bond after a longer companionship but you wished to contact the vanguard so it was urgent.”

  She shuffled as if sitting still this long was causing her a lot of difficulties.

  “Why not the vanguard? Surely you wish to go home?”

  Aura’s scales flashed dark black. “My mother died smuggling me away from the vanguard. It was one of her last wishes that I never trust them!” She spun in place, suddenly distracted, “although I don’t know why? Are we done talking?”

  She stretched her wings clearly eager to fly and turned her head almost upside down as if to look at him from a new angle.

  “There could be ships looking for you. We have to be careful.”

  “Yes, the prey ships.”

  Lionel received an image in his mind of a giant Minotaur with a double-bladed axe in hand.

  He groaned. “Bounty hunters.”

  There must have been a fugitive nearby, they would hunt anything given enough money, if Rover had been spotted they were in trouble.

  “I wish to fly. I shall be stealthy!” She said running towards the airlock and knocking into the door as she tried to press the button with her snout.

  Before he could remind her it was too dangerous she disappeared.

  He leapt back as she reappeared in a new location.

  “It’s easier in the starry sky. The ship is too hard.”

  He could hardly keep a dragon sequestered on the ship.

  He typed in a code to the airlock.

  “Be careful.”

  Aura raced forward and pressed her head against his hand. He flinched but his hand remained steady and before he could worry if he had done any of the right things she was flying beside the ship and disappeared.

  “Harriet,” he gave an exasperated sigh, “the prey ship Aura spoke of was bounty hunters.”

  I will monitor information from the guild regarding any mention of Sky Savannah or unusual creature encounters.

  “I appreciate it.”

  “Let’s plan our jump home. We can’t remain on The Dump but I need a few things first, namely to work out where to go next. But first a shower.”

  Coordinating subsequent jumps to CS 4827.