I blinked, startled. That was probably more raw honesty than I’d ever gotten from Mia in a single statement, and it showed that she wasn’t any more immune to the stress permeating the ship than the rest of us. In a way, it made me feel warmer toward her. I’d come to appreciate her strength and determination. But she was still volatile and unpredictable, and I didn’t dare count her a friend yet.

“I was just checking in on our location,” I replied honestly. “We’re near Mars, and I want to make sure we don’t get inside their sensor range.” Omnistellar didn’t have a presence on Mars. That was Mars Mining’s domain. But Omnistellar was the most powerful corp in the solar system, and any other organization, especially an up-and-coming group like Mars Mining, would jump at the chance to curry some favor by arresting us.

“Can sensors even pick up this ship? I thought Sanctuary couldn’t.”

“It didn’t seem to, but . . .” I shrugged. “Why take chances?”

Mia nodded, glancing around, pacing back and forth with the grace and danger of a caged tiger. I’d seen her do it before, stalking the ship’s corridors. I remembered Alexei telling me that Mia hated confined spaces. The words hovered on my lips—Are you okay?—but I didn’t think Mia would appreciate them, so I only said, “Reed broke up another fight just now.”

“Reed’s good at that.” She examined a console as if she could understand it if she stared at it long enough. “People don’t get offended when he tells them off. He does it with a wink, and they walk away laughing.”

“You could try that,” I offered, raising an eyebrow to show I was kidding.

Mia laughed. “Diplomacy might not be my strong suit.” She hesitated. “Look, I’ve been meaning to say . . . everything that happened back on Sanctuary? I didn’t trust you, not for a long time, but you came through. We wouldn’t be here if not for you. I was . . . maybe a bit hasty judging you. Anyway. Thanks.”

A sudden burst of some unidentifiable feeling choked me. This was the closest I’d ever heard to an apology from Mia, ever. And I didn’t deserve it. Not her apology. Not her gratitude. Yeah, I’d saved a few of the prisoners on Sanctuary. But I’d been part of the company that imprisoned them in the first place, and worst of all, Matt was dead because of me.

But I couldn’t tell Mia any of that, so I forced a smile. “Thanks,” I said. “But I don’t think I did that much. You were the one who—”

Mia waved me aside as if I was boring her. “Let’s not do that.”

This time I grinned for real. Mia might be dangerous, but she was genuine. You didn’t have to play games or guess with her. “All right. Then just thank you.”