Before she’d finished speaking, an even larger missile shot off toward the mother, aiming right for her open maw. There was a half second of quiet, and then an enormous, muffled thump. The mother exploded, spraying grit into all of their faces.

“Eugh,” Ava said, spitting out grains. They were tasteless, but she couldn’t help but think of them as part of the mother. She froze as an eerie chorus of wails cut through the room, echoing off the walls.

“Her children,” Nouresh said. “I would have spent a few more missiles killing them off. They’re cunning little bastards, and they’ve got a bad tendency to sneak aboard ships. Should be impossible, but they always find a way.” She lifted her hands out of the semi-liquid sand, and the simulacra of the swarm and the Anahita fell back onto the table.

“Did we win?” Jules asked. “That was the battle?”

Nouresh nodded, wiping her hands off. “They used to be longer and bloodier, back when I was a fresh recruit. But we’ve evolved our tactics and they haven’t. They’ll keep doing the same thing until they go extinct.” She went over to a cabinet on the wall, similar to the one in the market. Nouresh opened the doors, twisting instruments until the black screen lit up again. The first mate’s face appeared; she looked sweaty, nervous and excited. She saluted, stumbling over the greeting—maybe she hadn’t expected to face the captain so soon after the battle. Captain Nouresh held up a hand to cut her off. “Mirya.”

Captain Nouresh spoke, her tone calm and professional, and more than a little proud.

If anything, the first mate looked even more nervous. She replied with confusion and concern. Nouresh’s smile grew, and her voice became cheerful. There was a hissed whisper behind Mirya, which she hushed. “Uzmala?” she said. The captain’s first name, Ava remembered. Mirya asked a question. Nouresh gave no answer, just a salute. Then she cut the connection and closed the cabinet doors.

“What did you tell her?” Ava asked.

“I congratulated her on her overdue promotion to captain, and told her where to find the letter of commission. I wrote it months ago, but haven’t been able to give up the ship.” Captain Nouresh touched the wall affectionately, like an old friend or a family member. She patted it a couple of times, then said, “I’m ready for my next adventure. It’s been too long since I’ve walked through a marejii.”

Ava felt an enormous weight lift off her chest. She listened with half an ear as Jules excitedly told Nouresh about their own world, all the amazing places in it besides Annapolis—though of course Nouresh could go back there, if she wanted, but she should know about some other options. Jules’s secondhand wanderlust was palpable, and contagious, judging by Nouresh’s face.