Ignoring her, I march over to the sink, clutching the bottle so tightly that my fingers hurt. My heart is pounding like I’m staring down the barrel of a blaster.

“Have it your way,” I say. “We’re both going in sober.”

“Wait—”

I upend the bottle. The sight of the last of my liquor pouring down the sink makes bile rise in the back of my throat, so I shut my eyes until it’s done. Even then, the sharp smell makes me thirsty. I swallow hard and turn to look at Drom, who is staring at me in utter bafflement.

“There’s no way that was really the last of it,” she says.

“It was.” The croak in my voice makes it clear it’s the truth. Realizing I’m still clutching the bottle, I let it drop to clatter in the bottom of the sink.

“Shit, Scor.”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe you just did that.”

“Me neither.” I take a deep breath. “Stars damn. Let’s get to the cargo bay before the regret kicks in.”

In the cargo bay, Lyre doles out our entire supply of weapons while everyone else outfits themselves in combat gear. Everyone looks grim and determined. Though Corvus, surprisingly, is looking a little green around the edges. Part of me aches at having to send my still-suffering brother into combat—but we don’t have a choice.

If we succeed here, we’ll finally have the peace Corvus has been wanting. And if we fail… well, if we fail, we won’t be alive to suffer the consequences. And at least the universe will know that we tried.

Lyre hands me my equipment, including the last of the body armor, which will mean leaving herself exposed. As she leans close, she pauses, giving an exaggerated sniff.

“You don’t smell like alcohol,” she says, almost accusingly.

“Yeah? What about it?”

“Did you take something?”

“What? No.” I start to gear up, layering protective armor and pads on top of my jumpsuit. “I’m completely sober.”

Corvus shoots me a surprised look and then nods. “Good.”

I roll my eyes, trying to hide how embarrassed I am by their scrutiny. It never really occurred to me how closely my siblings watch my drinking.

“Hm.” Lyre’s eyebrows rise. “Yes, good for you, but… you do realize you have only a few hours until withdrawal kicks in?”