“A fairy tale,” I said irritably. “Alexei, you can’t believe that place exists.” Imani quirked an eyebrow at me, and I explained, “The story goes that Obsidian was an Omnistellar prison near Mars. It was an old one, housing dangerous criminals who didn’t belong on Earth—not anomalies, but murderers and the like. The prisoners overthrew it and now they control it. It’s said to be the only criminal-run space station in the solar system, but—”

“It’s real.” Alexei snarled.

“It is not. Omnistellar doesn’t make that sort of mistake.”

“Kenzie.” His voice softened. “I have been there.”

That brought me up short. Alexei didn’t lie. But how, why, would Omnistellar allow a place like that to continue? My former corporation might not be invulnerable as I’d once believed, but they were still the most powerful corp in the solar system, and not lacking in finances or resources. They would simply blow Obsidian out of the sky.

Unless . . . there was some reason they couldn’t? Or wouldn’t?

Alexei and Liam continued to argue, with Mia occasionally interjecting. Rune glanced back and forth between them, her mouth working as if she had something to say but couldn’t quite find the words. Finally, she turned to Cage in frustration.

He rose to the occasion, obviously jumping at the chance to mend some bridges between himself and his twin. “Hey!” he shouted. The other three spun on him with identical glares, and Cage folded his arms. “We can talk about where we’re going later. Right now, let’s return to Rune’s question: What the hell do you know about the aliens? And how do you know it?”

That got everyone’s attention, even drawing Reed away from the control board where he’d been hovering. Imani and I exchanged glances. We, more than anyone, knew what the aliens meant if they arrived. But then I caught Jasper’s worried expression, the way he gnawed at his lip, and remembered that his family was closest. If Liam had something to do with the aliens, if he brought them here, Jasper’s family was in the most immediate danger.

I shook my head. Liam had helped us destroy the ship. Thinking he was in league with the aliens was nothing but paranoia, my lingering terror nudging the corners of my psyche. But at the same time, we knew nothing about Liam. We’d jumped on his ship because it was that or imminent arrest. No, he probably wasn’t working with the aliens, but he could easily be Omnistellar. Or a bounty hunter. Or a murderer.

But one look at him brought me up short. All his forced confidence dissolved, and his face turned pale and drawn. Slowly, he sank into his chair. “I guess you have a right to know,” he said quietly. “You might as well take a seat.” Meeting Alexei’s frustrated gaze, he sighed. “Even in this ship, it’ll take us an hour to get to Obsidian. You’ll have plenty of time to argue about it before then. But may I ask where else you want to go? The only other location within range of my fuel is the planet we just left, and I suspect you’re about to become very unpopular there.”