"Fine," Vicenta said. "You stay here with the ships, we don't want the Nomad stealing them." This last part dripped with so much sarcasm you could spread it on toast. "I'll go search the station. If I find this Nomad of yours," she said with a tone that suggested that this was about as likely as a plaid hippopotamus, "I'll be sure to shoot it for you." She armed her blaster. "Don't touch anything." With that, she went to search the station.
Katz took a deep breath, exhaling as he sagged back against his ship, rubbing his temple and shaking his head.
He wasn't crazy, he knew it was in there, somewhere. But how did he explain that to Vicenta without sounding crazy? He was getting tangled up in the Keeper's chaotic web... and he needed to find some way to free himself.
Vicenta walked and occasionally floated through the corridors of the station. "Here Nomad, Nomad," she called sardonically. "Come out, come out wherever you are."
The dark shadow scrtiched and scratched its way through one of the vents, hauling its back end through and inside making a thick rattling noise. A blast panel fell free, as one of the bolts holding the vent to the ceiling gave out, sending the whole set of ducting crashing to the deck behind Vicenta.
Vicenta climbed back into her cockpit. Alvin could probably hear snatches of Spanish phrases consisting mainly of "borracho", if he listened hard enough. "Come on, idiota. We have to get back to Gorodok before the commissars start yelling for our heads. That ship better be spaceworthy."
Roaring away from the Dom, Katz stared at the youthful face of the boy standing alone in the great windows waving cheerily good bye.
He closed his eyes a second, resting back in his seat before forcing them open. He wasn't insane, the boy was there. It was all he needed to steel his resolve and return to his duty.
The pair of Partisans rushing towards the jump hole that would lead them back home.