Thane and I barely spoke as we crossed the barren, dusty planes of Terminus again and arrived back at the Terminal. As I stepped into the port, I said, "I'm going to need a really good excuse for why I was out this long."

He looked me in the eye and moved into the port with me. "School project," he said. "It's not unlikely."

"Are you a practiced liar?" I asked, eyeing him.

"I escaped a prison." He pushed the button to start the port moving and took a step back, rolling ...