“Our mighty Alliance, fallen to rebels. Our ancestors weep.”

—Prindaps Soresqan, the Last Adjudicar of the Alliance of Worlds

The woman’s eyes fixed on Zaina. “This your new friend?”

“Yup. She saved my life a few nights ago, like I said. And she indicated she’s ready to work.”

Captain Danjai nodded. “Well, we’ve got plenty of that.” She pointed toward a cache of guns nearby. “You know how to use any of those?”

“I can use a scrapshot,” Zaina replied.

“Might want to grab one before they’re all packed up,” the captain said. “We’re going mobile soon.”

“I’ll get her one!” Reida said. “You said scrapshot, right? You really should use a phase cycler, they’re better in every way.”

“I can try it out, but I’m pretty good with a scrapshot.”

Reida shrugged. “All right, works for me. I’ll find you a good one, and some ammo, too.”

“Thanks,” Zaina said. She turned to face Captain Danjai, who was looking her up and down.

“Reida spoke highly of you,” the captain said—her voice was deep and sharp.

“She spoke highly of you, too.”

“I would hope so. Loyalty matters with what we’re doing here.”

Zaina gulped. This woman gave off no-nonsense vibes.

“I’m taking quite the risk in bringing you on, I hope you realize that,” Captain Danjai said.

Zaina’s head tilted. “How so?”

“For one thing, you’re awfully late to the party. We’ve been planning this for a while.” Captain Danjai swept her arm, gesturing around the room. “For another, I’ve worked with everyone in here for a long time—I trust them. I can’t say the same for you. But Reida sees something in you, and I’ve tried to teach that girl everything I know. If she’s willing to take a chance on you, so am I—even if it jeopardizes months of work, it’ll teach her something valuable. And if you’re as reliable as she says, we can divert resources elsewhere.”

Zaina nodded. “Well, thanks for the chance, anyway.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You know”—she glared—“I’ve met your type before. With the mark. It didn’t end well for anyone.”

“We’re not all the same,” Zaina said.

“I realize that. But before I send you in there with my lieutenant, I need to know—are you in control?”

Zaina frowned—it wasn’t something she’d been particularly keen to dwell on. “I am.”

Captain Danjai’s stone gaze didn’t waver. “I’ve dealt with worse, anyway.”

Reida walked over with a single-barrel scrapshot. “Catch!”

She tossed it to Zaina, who barely caught it. “Gah! What the—is this thing loaded?”

“Yup! Ready to go. None of these have safeties, by the way. Manufacturer’s defect. Funny story, that’s actually how we got them.”

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Zaina held the weapon—it was lighter than her father’s double-barreled scrapshot. Its paint was rusted, with a number on the side scratched out. The peletin of beads was only about two-thirds full. The mag-hammer was a little bit different—a lever on the back instead of a button—and there was no rangefinder.

Well, it’s not what I trained with, but it’ll do.

“Loaded those up with stun beads for you. Oh, and grab some armor and stuff before we head out,” Reida said. “You’ll definitely want some of that. Probably a mask, too—maybe some kind of blunt weapon since you’re so strong. But we’ll get there when we get there.”

Captain Danjai’s gaze was still fixed on Zaina. “You ever used one of these in a live situation?”

“I’ve never been in a gunfight, if that’s what you’re asking,” Zaina said. “My dad used to take me out to a hill near our house. I practiced a lot.”

“First action’s always rough,” the captain said. “Can’t have anyone freezing on a mission like this.”

Zaina shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I can handle myself.”

Captain Danjai frowned. “Can’t tell you how many people I’ve heard say that on their last day alive.”

Unsure of what to make of this woman—she clearly didn’t want Zaina here, and Zaina didn’t exactly feel welcomed—but she ignored the comment. “So—what’s the plan?”

“As far as you’re concerned? Stick with Reida. She’s responsible for you. I’ve already briefed her on everything. Do what she says.”

“Oh, okay,” Zaina said.

“Hey, Reida! You ready?” the captain shouted over the clamor of their underground warehouse.

“Yeah, just about,” Reida said, picking through a pile of tubes containing small discs with blue lights lining their edges. She stuffed a few in her pocket and walked back over. “You gonna get everything out in time?”

The captain scowled. “If these bastards would get a move on. It’s not the worst thing in the world if we have to leave a few pallets behind, all things considered—still might have to crack a head or two to get them going proper.”

“Right on,” Reida said. “Come on, Zaina, I’ll get you geared up before we head to our post. Do you know your armor size by chance?”

Zaina blinked rapidly. “Wait—wait, this is happening tonight?”

Reida’s head tilted to the side. “Well—yeah, when did you think we were going to make our move? The longer we wait, the more people will suffer.”

“I—I don’t know, but—a little more notice would’ve been nice!”

The captain sighed. “Nice isn’t a strong suit in this line of work. This happens tonight—no matter what. Are you in or out?”

Zaina shifted her weight. This was her last out—she had a sinking suspicion she should take it and walk away. What was three more months tending Hobst’s shop?

She glanced at her empty palm. I’m supposed to be a lancer. Ten years for the rest of my life—to spend three months of that here…

She met Captain Danjai’s eyes and said, “I’m in.”

Reida loosed a relieved sigh. “See, I told you she’s solid. I knew you’d come around. Come along, now.”

“Best of luck tonight,” the captain called after Reida as she dragged Zaina toward a pile of body armor.

“Here—try this on. This one’s pretty good. Won’t do much against energy weapons, but not much will,” Reida said, shoving a silver breastplate into Zaina’s hands.

“Um—sure,” she replied, fitting it over her shirt. It fit over her, barely touching her torso beneath the shoulders. “This one’s too big.”

“All right—well, try on this mask. You like it? Good. Here’s your utility belt—I already loaded it up with goodies.” Reida quickly shoved it into her hands and went back to rummaging through the armor on the floor. The breathing mask was similar to the one she wore back home, except the hyper-glass face covering was tinted dark gray and had an interior vis-screen displaying a targeting screen and environmental readouts; the utility belt had three holsters: one for a grappling hook-gun, one for a scrapshot, and one for a sleek, square-shaped gun with a curved handle; six orb-shaped grenades hung from the belt’s side.

After finding a gunmetal-gray armor piece, Zaina put the utility belt and mask on, then spread her arms and did a once-around.

“How do I look?”

Reida giggled. “Like a proper freedom fighter. You ready to get a move on? I’ll catch you up on what you need to know on the way.”

They walked back up the stairs and emerged into the open night air of Otmonzas. The low murmur of people milling about filled her ears.

Does anyone on this planet ever sleep?

Reida started toward and fence and said, “Follow me!”

After climbing over, they landed back in the network of alleys. A few winding twists and turns took them to a small clearing. A small, grounded craft was parked in the center—a three-wheeled bike with two seats strapped over an engine.

“Is this yours?” Zaina asked.

Reida mounted the bike’s front seat. “Let’s say I requisitioned it. You know—for the glorious cause.”

Again, the sensation struck Zaina that she should walk away while she still could. Something about this whole scenario didn’t sit right with her. Instead, as if in a trance, she walked over and got on behind Reida, wrapping her arms around the cold metal armor covering her torso.

“I’ll go over everything when we get there,” Reida said. “For now, hang on, okay?”

An aroma with a hint of sweetberries emanating from Reida’s hair floated into Zaina’s nostrils. The scent was pleasant. “I can do that.”