“We won’t even make it there,” Corvus says dully. “Leonis clearly intended for us to die. We’ll be shot out of the sky.”

“Okay. So Gaia is a no-go. Where else? Maybe a doctor on Deva? Or Pax?” Deva is a more developed world, but Paxians are nothing if not innovative, with all their built-in tech and playing with genetics.

“No one’s going to go near a Primus disease,” Corvus says.

“They might if we throw enough credits at them,” I say, and pause as dread hits me. “You have access to M—um, to the business account, right?”

“No.” He raises his head to look at me, his eyes mirroring my horrible realization. “You don’t?”

“Not a chance,” I say, and huff out a hopeless laugh. “Oh, stars. So we’re totally broke, too?” I take another long swig. If only I had sold that damn vial, we’d be in a much better position right now. Five hundred thousand credits could’ve been enough to give us another option, and instead we have nothing. Damn my conscience. Changing my mind didn’t save Titan, it only screwed us over now. If I hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t be in such a dire situation. “Okay… so a war’s starting, Leonis wants us dead, and we’re broke. What else have we got?”

While Corvus stares at me in mute hopelessness, I realize the answer to my own question. Unease turns my legs to jelly at the thought, but I force myself to push back my fear, and reach into my pocket. I shiver as my fingers close around the alien vial. I nearly chucked the thing out the air lock the moment we were in open space, but I stopped at the last second. It’s too valuable to throw away. Maybe the only thing of value we have, now.

“Well… I do have something to bargain with,” I say, and pull the vial out. When I hold it up, light illuminates the swirling colors within. I shudder as it reminds me of the similar shimmer spreading up Pol’s arm, his look of shock, the sound his body made when it hit the floor—

“Why the hell did you bring that on board?” Corvus snaps, rage bringing him to life. He’s on his feet in an instant, grabbing for it, but I step back and pull it out of his reach. “Give it to me.”

“Whoa, hey, wait.” I block him with the hand holding my flask. Whiskey splashes across his shirt, and he glowers at me. “This is the only leverage we have right now. We could use it as a threat against Leonis, or even sell it—”

“No. We’re flushing it out the air lock,” Corvus snarls. “That weapon just killed my home-planet. Maybe that doesn’t mean anything to you, but it does to me.”