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“You could give me my damn shoes back,” I mumbled.

“We’ll be buying you new shoes soon,” Narmuna said, hearing my annoyance. “We aren’t trying to limit you, only keep you safe and comfortable.”

It felt like they thought I was so delicate I might be crushed under my own weight. It was both sweet and annoying as hell!

“We should buy enough of these to cover all the hallways, the galley, and Opal’s room,” Narmuna said, examining a stack of rugs closely. “She’d be able to walk barefoot and be comfortable.”

That was an interesting idea. Theirs would be the first ship I’d ever been on with rugs.

“I have shoes,” I reminded them.

They didn’t listen to me and started talking to the merchant about a bulk order. The merchant was so excited he didn’t pay attention to me as I moved to look over a shelf of materials. I picked out the one that could be resold on Bright Star Station for the best price and took it over to the small table where the merchant was tapping frantically on a display. Tolly and Narmuna weren’t looking at me. They were facing each other and talking in low tones, but I was sure that both of them knew exactly where I was.

“I have a request,” I said.

The merchant looked up. “Anything, Soul Opal.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised he knew my name. This station wasn’t that big, and having me and the Talins here was probably the gossip of the day.

“I want to buy this, but I want it sent to Bright Star Station,” I said, handing him the cloth. “My quarters number is 1557 and my station ID is 3030549.”

“Certainly,” he said. “But this is ceremonial. It’s going to be expensive.”

I pulled my square out of my bag. “I should have enough to pay for it if you don’t charge me to send it.”

He hesitated. “I’ll have to wait until a through-ship comes in.”

I already knew that would only be a few days. Deliveries were so rare everyone on Bright Star Station had the schedule memorized, including me. Thankfully almost every ship stopped here first. “That’s fine.”

He glanced at the Talins, then back at me. “Is this a secret?”

“Yes,” I said.

“It’s hard to keep gifts from being found,” he whispered, grabbing the cloth and tucking it away. “If you have anything else you need to send off, have it brought to me. I’ll package it all up.”

His offer made me thankful that the Massoc considered gift giving important among mate groups.

“Can I include a message?” I asked.

He handed me his information square, and I tapped a quick message to be included with the material. As far as getting help, it wasn’t going to do me any good. But it would be reassuring to know I was alive and trying to get home.

I handed him my square to pay, but he pushed it away. “No, I’ve changed my mind. You’re not paying. Your mate group is about to buy out most of my store. I’ll get to close until I get more stock in. You’re giving me a vacation I never expected.”

I folded my arms over my chest and rested my hands on opposite shoulders. It was a sign of sincere thankfulness.

“You’re a well-balanced soul,” I said.

“As are you,” he agreed.

“We will need all of this delivered to our ship,” Tolly said, pulling the merchant's attention from me to the two Talins. “Our shuttle isn’t big enough.”

“I’ll coordinate with Soul Tulm,” the merchant said. “We’ll make sure everything is delivered after you’re finished shopping.”

“They have to leave at the end of this work cycle,” Tulm warned, standing in the front opening to the shop.

“Then we’d better hurry,” Narmuna said.

After paying for the order of rugs, Tolly picked me up and carried me several shops down. It was a clothing shop with a tailor machine. I didn’t even hesitate to step on the measuring platform the moment Tolly set me down next to it.