With already being hooked into the station, and not just literally, Tony already had multiple streams accessible through Ilise’s communicator of the station. It was a typical place with the simplest gravity set up that seemed more of a concern for the greenhouse plants growing in the right direction than if all species could walk properly.

Ilise typed a few commands in her comm and the usually hidden earpiece expanded until a tiny window floated in front of her right eye. On it, she flicked through the feeds Tony had commandeered until she found one that caught her attention.

On the camera, a few Eusphyra weren’t roaming about like others. Instead, they stalked around like sharks cutting through water to reach their prey. The way they narrowed in on a target and walked in a straight line, uncaring of anybody standing in their path, made them look like the perfect accomplice to the kidnappers that took Alice.

Ilise made a note of the pin spotting where Boil was and was glad to note she would not cross any of the Eusphyra’s paths. As she made her way down the crowded street, she noticed that there were only a few people that went in and out of the resupply store that had the neon sign “Stagnant Supplies” which either meant the air supply or described the quality fairly well.

Pirates recently out of a death-row prison did not have income lining their pockets. But after spending a whole ten weeks with them, she was not surprised by the fact that they were going to pay honestly for the goods. Charyd actually had a card...

It was probably the other officer’s card. Idiot if he hadn’t locked it by this point.

The camera streams stayed on the outside of the Stagnant Supplies as a shaol of Eusphyra went out, shoulder to shoulder and bladed arm fins scraping against one another to create an ominous sound as they walked. A moment later, a group of armed mercs went in.

Tony helpfully switched the feed to one from inside the shop. The chocolate bars were scanned fine, it was just the mercs sending the message to the cashier to get out. Knowing Alice, she probably read the fear in the poor clerk’s emotions and knew what was about to happen. Alice saved her crew before herself. She really was a great captain material.

While Tony played music for Charyd to calm him down. If he really cared about his crew, he would pull himself together. At least Scooball took care of getting things ready, was even teaching Polo to respect the ship. What would really help respect the Darkstorm would be getting it back to the Cadoon army where it belonged.

She smacked the screen. “Tony pause, back up two seconds.... There!”

She pointed to the mercs pointing guns and snapping a collar on Alice fast while they had emotional control. That’s not what she cared about, and how fast a red circle went around the badges, Tony caught on too.

“Cadoon units.”

Cadoon was here, but that made no sense, they did not even know where Charyd’s crew hid themself. Boil was not wearing his uniform either, maybe stealth was the way to go. It was odd the mercenaries were trying to hide who they were on this refill station. If they were even mercenaries and not Cadoon military in hiding.

Things must have changed in the last ten weeks, and maybe they had a tracker now on Darkstorm, a bounty out for the ship’s sleek design and personal codes that even Tony couldn’t find in the database. But Ilise knew that the best way to get any information would be to get out there.

“Let’s go, Tony, and guide me to Gunner Officer Boil.” She instructed and the screen before her eye flickered into a map of the station, indicating her current position and then zooming out with a red path drawn on for her to reach Boil’s last known location.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“And keep an eye out on both Squilla and Charyd. The moment Squilla even looks like she’s waking up, let me know. If she locks you out while I need you—”

“Yes, yes,” Tony interrupted, and his sprite popped up on the map long enough to roll its eyes before disappearing again from obstructing her view.

As Ilise followed Tony’s silent directions, she thought about Alice. There was no way Alice would go down that easy. Whether it was mercs or Cadoon military, Alice could have fought the group off without ever putting the clerk in danger. What was it that distracted her enough to get caught?

Boil. He would have the intel she needed. And if, maybe, Alice ended up escaping her captors with Ilise’s help, nobody had to know.

“Take a left.” Tony told her. “He was hanging out not too far from the Stagnant Supplies. I suggest keeping a low profile too, you also have a bounty.”

Even if it was fake, she still had one. “I’m hurt they made mine worth less than Charyd’s.”

“Again - low profile. You blend in with the rest of the chumps here with that measly bounty.”

Ilise grumbled out something under her breath and she knew Tony caught it, but, thankfully, he did not say anything about her swearing. As she continued to follow the map, Tony suddenly gasped in her ear.

“We have a problem,” he said immediately following.

“Squilla?” Ilise asked and glanced around for a spot to hide in case Squilla took over Tony’s cameras.

“No, no. She’s still out. Her breathing got a bit too fast earlier but—anyway! Boil. He is no longer Gunner Officer Boil.”

“What?”

The map in front of her eye disappeared and was instead replaced with discharge documents, Boil’s picture right at the top beside his name and rank. What caught Ilise most off guard, though, was the bright red “dishonourably discharged” that seemed stamped on the digital file.

“What happened?” Ilise asked and flicked her eyes, scrolling down to try and find the reasons. Tony did not reply, and Ilise caught the lines of redacted information. Even Tony had a hard time cracking that encryption code when he was at his full strength. With Squilla’s programs bogging him down, it would probably be faster to find Boil and ask him.

“Seems like Boil was not part of the plan to capture Alice, then. What about the others? Did you find them in the Cadoon database?” Ilise asked once the map was back in view and she was walking.

“Working on it. There are too many redacted files. In fact, your image is out only cuz of your bounty. Military files are still locked on your appearance and species.”

Ilise hummed and turned another corner, straying further and further away from the crowded main street. And too far from the ship to her liking.

“Can you get—” she cut herself off when she saw a familiar figure raise up from a tiny table and chair at a small café. “Never mind.” She sped up and waited for Boil to pay his bill with a swipe of his wrist against the table’s edge before he moved off. Ilise stalked him for a few blocks, thankfully turning closer to the docks than further away, until he finally seemed to catch on.

Boil may have been a Gunner Officer, but every Cadoon soldier was trained the same. He turned into a smaller alleyway, most likely to wait to ambush his follower. Ilise, however, was ready and quickly ducked under his punch, grabbed his arm, slid to the side, and then twisted them around until she was using Boil’s own arm to restrict his airways.

“Captain!” Boil said a panic.

Ilise grinned and loosened her hold. Once she was sure he wouldn’t retaliate, she let him go completely. Boil turned to face her and though his face was obviously displaying happiness, the little screen before Ilise’s eye said otherwise: Tony’s facial recognition system read fear, apprehension, surprise, and… shame?

“What happened?” Ilise asked, and then motioned to his chest. It lacked the Cadoon military jacket and the ranks that were usually pinned and displayed proudly at his breast.

Boil’s chest deflated and this time Ilise could read the embarrassment and shame without Tony’s help.

“Got fired,” Boil answered and looked away.

“For what?” Ilise growled.

“For letting all of you go.”

“All—” Ilise cut herself off with another growl. “They think I joined voluntarily?”

Boil made a show of looking down the mouth of the alley they were in. “I don’t really see your guard detail.”

“I will never leave the Darkstorm to their grubby hands without taking extra precautions. Whatever. I don’t have to explain myself to you!”

Boil, even though recently fired and obviously unhappy with her, still had his military training instilled in him. He straightened his spine and locked his eyes on the wall over her shoulder.

Ilise immediately felt a twinge of annoyance. Tony’s sprite started silently berating her on the screen.

“Sorry. I’ve been on edge. Darkstorm is here. Somebody caught Alice, and Tony found you on the feeds. I—” this time, Ilise cut herself off because the annoyance that twinged in her mind was definitely not her own. It was much stronger and when she saw Tony’s readings on Boil’s face, he mirrored it there as well.