The meeting room was silent as the senior staff - plus Ali - waited on their commanding officer to speak first. Grey tapped absentmindedly on the table in front of him as he considered the best way to proceed and explain. He decided blunt honesty was going to serve him best. "The taurrans have already succeeded in freeing Bert Barker," he stated.

The senior officers, who hadn't been on the bridge when Ali made her announcement, shared a stunned look. "What?" Spud demanded, "we're going back, right?"

"I haven't yet informed command," Grey admitted.

"You think they will keep us at Ulth," Wood stated and after a moment Grey nodded. "Is this really our problem? So long as Security Core -"

"They won't investigate," Narla cut in as she finally pulled her gaze away from Ali. "Unreliable sources," she added as explanation.

"That's why we're going to give them data from a reliable source," Grey said, "Spud, how long do you need to give Ali's ship a once over?"

"It depends," Spud figured with a shrug, "what needs doing?"

"I want the stealth systems checked and double checked," Grey explained before turning to Ali, "the Endeavour can act as a decoy to keep command off your back whilst you do recon and get the proof we need for them to take this threat seriously."

"I thought I was the unreliable source?" Ali asked.

Grey nodded again. "That's why Wood's going with you." Wood and Ali glanced at each other with the same indignant expression on their faces, before turning back to Grey, as he turned to his second in command. "Do as she says, and not just because she outranks you."

"I don't outrank him. I was thrown out, remember?" Ali quipped.

"I'm reinstating you," Grey replied.

As everyone else shared surprised looks Ali scrutinised Grey for any hint he was joking. The look on her face said he had to be joking. "You don't have the authority to do that," she decided instead.

"In the event of a crisis I do indeed have the authority and I think this constitutes a crisis." Ali opened her mouth to argue. "Since I have reinstated you, I am also your commanding officer once more. Your orders are recon, nothing more. Do not do anything stupid."

"What part of this doesn't count as stupid?"

Grey ignored her. "Everyone knows what they need to do, get to it."

They knew time wasn't on their side and that put a limit on their preparations. The discussion Ali had with Wood about what kind of supplies they would need lasted as long as their paths went in the same direction, before he split off to the armoury and she went with Spud to work on the Hotpot.

Within an hour the Hotpot looked like it would never fly again; consoles, modules and cables had been pulled out of their proper places so that Ali and Spud could go through everything. Both women were firm believers that if you were going to do something it was best to do it properly. Even if Spud was rather unimpressed with some of Ali's patch up jobs. "What is this?" Spud asked brandishing a tool at a particularly inventive bypass.

Ali scrambled to turn around where she was wedged in the crawlspace above the main engine room. Ships as small as the Hotpot were a lot more integrated than one the size of the Endeavour, where all the main access points for the systems were routed down to the engineering bays with minor access panels throughout the ship. The Hotpot had access panels throughout the small vessel with only the drive core systems in the engine room. "Oh yeah, meant to get that looked at," Ali realised.

"Ali…" Spud scolded.

"What? I had more important things on my mind at the time. Such as a vellurian… merchant who believed I had stolen his property."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Had you?"

"Not as such," Ali replied with an evasive tone and an amused, sheepish expression to match. "I was hired to enable someone else to steal it." Spud frowned in confusion. "I was the distraction," Ali clarified.

"And you didn't get it fixed after because..?"

"I forgot?" For a moment Ali braced herself as if she expected Spud to throw something at her, instead the engineer just shook her head in hopeless amusement.

"You owe me for this," Spud decided.

"I think I owe you enough for you to have lost count by now."

Spud rolled her eyes at Ali's cheeky grin. Six years ago they'd both set foot on the Endeavour, Ali on her first ship assignment, Spud as a promotion to chief engineer. They had been friends by the end of their first week. The pair had shared a sense of humour. Spud had taught Ali how to be assertive and Ali had attempted to teach Spud how to maintain a game-face. It had been unsuccessful because Spud wore her heart on her sleeve and probably always would. It was how Ali knew that Spud wanted to ask her something but didn't dare broach it. She recognised every pause in Spud's work when the woman turned to look at her and considered asking something before deciding against it.

After another hour of system checks and modifications Ali couldn't take it any longer. "Spud, what is it you want to ask me?"

Only years of engineering experience saved Spud from banging her head on the console they were underneath in surprise; sudden movements were a bad idea. Instead she turned to where Ali lay next to her with her hands still above her buried deep in circuitry and components, her attention apparently fixed on what she was doing. Spud sighed. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

Ali paused in her task at the question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Don't give me that," Spud snapped and it was Ali's turn to sigh. They had been friends too long to start lying to each other now. "I remember the state you were in after Tuthu. I remember helping you pick up the pieces," she whispered, "and don't tell me you're over it, we both know it's not that simple."

"Have you spoken to Petra since the divorce?"

Spud took a calming breath. "Don't try and dodge the question," she warned, helping steady a relay that Ali was trying to reconnect. "Are you really ready for this?"

"Do I have a choice?" Ali asked finally turning to face her friend, uncertainty written all over her face. "I can't just stand by and let him try again without attempting to stop it just because I might not be ready to face him."

"No," Spud agreed as kindly as she could, "but if you admit it to yourself, it might not take you by surprise when you face him. If you tell us, we can help you. It's not something you have to do alone."

Ali swallowed and nodded. She had been on her own for so long it had become second nature not to trust people. It wasn't until returning to the Endeavour that Ali realised she missed having friends around. But experience had taught her the danger of misplaced allies and it would be difficult to unlearn that lesson. She chose not to say anything and Spud didn't push the issue any further.

After another couple of hours they had decided that they'd done all they could - despite Spud's complaints about how much more she could do - in the time they had available. They were just finishing packing up when Grey arrived to finalise any remaining details before they left. "Shipshape?" He asked.

"Could be better but we don't have a week for me to dedicate to her," Spud reported with half a grin. "I still don't understand the name."

"Hotpot is a kind of stew, I think," Grey admitted, "but I can't explain why Ali would name her ship after it."

"I didn't!" Ali piped up where she was helping Wood load some cargo crates onto the ship. "She was called that when I won her."

Grey and Spud shared a look as if to say that explained nothing but that equally they shouldn't be surprised at Ali's behaviour. "Ali, can I have a word?" Grey asked instead as he beckoned her away from the others, she shrugged and nodded before following him. "The tetnar is still there, isn't it?" He asked quietly once they were far enough away not to be overheard.

Ali looked to the floor as she held in a wry sigh. "Yes."

Grey nodded to himself. It was the only way she could have known, but he needed to hear her confirm it. She would probably have done the same in his shoes. "You're going to have to trust Wood enough to tell him," he stated, making Ali look up. "He's shrewd, Ali, he'll notice if you're not telling him something. He trusts about as easily as you do, but you can trust him."

Ali took a steadying breath. "The last time you told me I could trust someone I got dishonourably discharged," she whispered, and for the first time since it happened the anger she wore as a shield against him cracked enough to show her vulnerability. Her head snapped towards the Hotpot as Spud shouted at Wood and a sad smile found its way onto her face. "I guess I can't request either Spud or Claire?" She asked hopefully and Grey shook his head apologetically. She nodded once before heading back towards the Hotpot and Grey followed.

"Don't get yourselves killed," Grey ordered as Ali and Wood made to board the ship.

"More likely they'll kill each other," Spud muttered.

"Have some faith in us," Ali retorted in kind.

"We do, Ali, just not the kind you want," Spud added with an all too innocent grin as Ali shook her head at her old friend as she closed the Hotpot's hatch.