“Trust me,” I said. “I know what I’m talking about.” I wagged a finger in Laura’s direction. “And so does she. Wheel her over here and she can show you what you need to do.”

* * *

I’d never worn a standard-issue combat exoskeleton, but I had seen them used. At first sight, they resembled nothing so much as a medieval torture device. They consisted of a close-fitting frame of carbon-fibre ribs and struts designed to support the limbs, enhance the wearer’s strength, and allow the body to remain mobile in high-gravity environments. During battle, the Conglomeration Navy used them to keep injured crew upright and functional, employing the rationale that it was more important to win the fight than treat the wounded. If the ship was lost, the wounded would be killed anyway. Better they fight first and seek treatment when victory had been secured.

Unfortunately, without anything but the most basic first aid, many expired anyway, succumbing to shock and the effects of their injuries even as their powered exoskeletons kept them on their feet and at their stations.

Even under the best of circumstances, they were risky things to wear. If you weren’t careful, they could literally pull you apart. But wearing one would at least give me a shot at completing my mission. If the alternative was to lie here in this echoing sick bay for another fortnight, I figured the risk would be worth taking.

Across the aisle, Laura felt otherwise. “I’m not going to help you kill yourself.”

“Well, I’m going to fit myself into it anyway.” I jerked my thumb at the medic. “And this kid isn’t going to be much use.” I glanced up at the boy in the white coat. “No offence.”

His hands were busy readying the suit, forcibly splaying open the hinged grey slats of its ribcage to make room for me. “None taken.” His accent sounded familiar.

“Are you Conglom’?” I asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. “I was.”

“But you were too young for the war?”

“I went to the Academy.”

“On Ravenscliffe?” I smiled as best I could through the pain and medication. “I was a cop there,” I told him. My heart was really racing now. “But long before your time, I guess. Now, as one Ravenscliffe boy to another, are you going to help me get this on?”

Luckily, he seemed too embarrassed to notice the desperate quaver in my voice. He blushed and moved his weight from one foot to another. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Neither have I.”

Laura sighed. “Ash,” she said, “for the last time, please don’t be a fucking idiot.”

She could see right through me. She knew I was panicking. To throw her off, I countered her plea with one of my own. “Are you really sure you’re not going to help me?”