The moment my escape pod docked, the doors hissed open, and I barely had time to sigh before two aliens were on me.

  One was big—really big—like a walking slab of muscle wrapped in some kind of exoskeletal armor. The other was small, jittery, and had too many fingers. Both looked like they had very different ideas about how to handle me.

  “Human! Step forward slowly!” the big one barked.

  I stepped forward at a completely normal pace, just to be difficult.

  Jitters waved a scanner at me, his oversized eyes practically vibrating. “No broken bones! No cellular destabilization! No internal liquefaction! Incredible!”

  I frowned. “Should I be worried about that last one?”

  The big guy—who I was now calling Security Dude—grumbled. “No. Hold still.”

  Before I could react, he slapped something onto my wrist. It was a sleek, metallic band—cool to the touch but pulsing faintly, like it had a tiny heartbeat.

  I frowned at it. “Okay, what’s this?”

  “Debt tracker.”

  My stomach sank. “Excuse me?”

  Jitters beamed. “Yes! It will monitor your work performance and deduct credits from your balance in real-time!”

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  I stared at them. “So… I’m in debt, and I’m on an alien payroll?”

  Security Dude grunted. “Not payroll. Indentured repayment.”

  I really didn’t like the sound of that.

  Before I could protest, a new figure pushed forward—the scientist.

  He was tall and lanky, with a pair of oversized goggles perched on his forehead. He grinned at me in a way that made my skin crawl.

  “Fascinating! You continue to defy expectations! I am Vrixibalt, chief researcher of xenobiology aboard this vessel. And you, human, are my greatest mystery!”

  I crossed my arms. “Not interested.”

  His grin faltered. “But—”

  “Nope.”

  “At least let me take some samples! Just small ones! A follicle or two! Maybe some sweat—”

  I took a step back. “Listen, pal, I just escaped an abduction, crash-landed in space, got hit with a surprise bill, and now I’m somehow part of a cosmic debt-collection scheme. I am not in the mood to be poked and prodded.”

  Vrixibalt looked heartbroken. I almost felt bad. Almost.

  Security Dude sighed and turned to Jitters. “Put him on the repair crew. Let’s see if he’s useful.”

  I threw up my hands. “Oh, sure. Yeah. Put me on repair duty in an alien spaceship. That’ll end well.”

  Jitters clapped excitedly. “Excellent! Follow me!”

  As I was dragged toward my new job, Vrixibalt trailed behind, muttering to himself.

  “But… how does he function so efficiently with such suboptimal biological components? I must observe more!”

  I pretended not to hear him.

  Something told me this was going to be a long journey.