Val watched as her brother left the bridge with the archmaster and the blue-skinned woman, along with a dozen guards.

Avran, the archmaster’s son, stood in a corner, his eyes darting about, from Val to the spot where his father had stood, to the captain.

“And so we meet again,” said Juden’s purring voice.

She turned to look at him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“So you’ve been a Gnorlian spy along.”

He laughed. “What? Me? A spy? You give me too much credit.”

“A mercenary, then? Is that it?”

“Don’t be crass. It’s below you.”

“The destroyer is hailing us,” barked the ensign.

The captain grunted. “Put them on the speaker.”

Everyone turned toward the screen, where the large battlecruiser could be seen moving toward them.

The face of an old and stern soldier appeared, hovering in front of the stars. He wore the uniform of a commodore.

“Vened Dhor speaking. Who is in charge?”

The captain moved forward.

“Lucius Fendar.”

“You have rebels on board your ship. We will be dispatching troops to assist in capturing them.”

Val could see the captain thinking fast. He obviously did not want any Imperials on his ship.

“With all due respect, Commodore, that will not be necessary.”

“Excuse me?”

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“The situation is under control.”

“Good. In that case, we will come pick up the prisoners.”

“No.”

The older man squinted at him.

“What did you just say?”

“This, as you might have noticed, is a diplomatic vessel. We do not fall under the command of the Imperial fleet. I only answer to His Lordship Tellus Nell, archmaster of the Outer Expanse.”

“Need I remind you, Captain, that Gnorlia is a part of the Imperium?”

“It is. But if you wish to board this vessel, you will need the consent of His Lordship himself.”

The other clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Then put him on the com, you fool! Why are you wasting my time?”

The captain clenched his fists but managed not to show his anger, smiling instead.

“Oh, I would, dear Commodore, but he is presently... otherwise occupied. I will let him know you request an audience as soon as he becomes available.”

The call was cut short before the older officer could respond, though Val had time to see anger coloring the man’s face.

“He will remember that,” she remarked. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to antagonize the Imperium after all that’s happened recently.”

The captain swung to look at her.

“This matter is none of your concern, stowaway! You should not even be here. I should have spaced you as soon as you stepped on this bridge.”

He turned to the guards who were watching her.

“Take her to C33 until the archmaster returns. And keep an eye on her.”

“No,” said Avran, “I will not allow it! She stays here.”

The captain pointed a finger at the teenager. “You do not tell me what to do. And get off my bridge.”

The boy glared, then stomped away.

Fendar snapped his fingers at the soldiers.

“Go! Take her.”

“That’s smart,” said Juden with a nod. “She’s a feisty one.”

“Shut your mouth,” hissed the captain, “or I’ll have you tossed off my bridge as well.”

Juden quirked a brow as the guards pushed Val toward the hall.

“Watch your tongue, Captain. You forget who I work for.”

“Who do you work for?” called out Val as she was pushed away.

Val caught a glimpse of Juden glancing in her direction just before the view of the bridge disappeared, though he said nothing.

She stopped resisting the guards.

“Come on, guys! Relax. I’m not going anywhere. We all know it.”

They took her to a small room and locked her inside.

All she saw here was a table and a chair. She sat on the edge of the table and set a foot on the chair, holding up her wristpad.

“Nim? You hear me?”

There was a bit of static, then she was relieved to hear the familiar voice.

“I hear you, Val.”

“Great! I was worried you might still be out of range. How far are you?”

“Not far. But I see you have company. Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I think so. Peter’s here too. The destroyer wants him.”

“So that’s what all those ships were. They’re all gone now. Except for you two.”

“We’ll likely need your help to get out of this mess. Stay near and stay shielded.”

“Of course. And, Val?”

“Yes?”

“Be careful,” the voice of her former soulmate breathed into her ear.

“Always,” she whispered as she cut off the link, holding back the tears.