“He’s a joke,” I say. The sight of Leonis has my throat itching, so I give in and snatch a shot from a nearby table too drunk and focused on the broadcast to notice. “But I guess a well-received one, since nobody’s put a knife in his back yet.” I shrug and down it, sighing in contentment afterward. Damn, even cheap whiskey on Deva is alarmingly good.

“Well, look what we have here! Our good friends, the Kaisers.”

I tense, whirling guiltily to face the approaching bar patrons and hiding the empty shot glass behind my back. My nerves recede as I recognize them, and I break into a relieved smile.

“Well, if it isn’t Eri and Halon. Been a while, huh?” Friends is a stretch, but the pair of arms dealers are old contacts of my mother’s. They aren’t enemies, at least, so I happily give them each a warm Devan greeting, clasping their hands and kissing them on both cheeks. Eridanus Vasquez is a fair, freckled man with a bristling beard and a hint of a Paxian lilt to his speech. His Devan husband is slim and dark-skinned, with clever eyes and a warm smile.

“It has, it has,” Eri says with a nod. He embraces each of my siblings in turn, including a rather reluctant Drom. “And the soldier’s returned, I see. Glad to find you well. But where are Apollo and Auriga?”

My smile turns fragile and strained. I’ve known Eri and Halon since childhood. If I let them know that Momma’s dead and Pol’s in danger, they might help us out with our situation. On the other hand, they might see it as a vulnerability to exploit. How am I supposed to decide the best course of action? I pause, my silence lasting a beat too long, and wonder—what would Momma do?

“Pol’s watching the ship,” I lie. “And, well… Momma decided it was high time for her to enjoy her retirement.”

So many times, Momma told us to trust only one another. That’s more important now than ever.

“Retirement?” Eri asks, so shocked for a moment that I worry he won’t believe me. “I can’t blame her for it, but what a shame! She was a great businesswoman. Though I suppose we should be glad to lose some competition.” He lets out a booming laugh. “Well, with Auriga out of the picture, it’s a good thing you have Corvus back to take care of you all.”

My smile fractures. I’m saved from having to respond by a cheer from the crowd around us. I turn to see that the beloved Devan prime minister has finally made an appearance at the council, and now beams from every screen in the room.