“We have an hour. We’re fine.” I glance around. “Where’s Scorpia?” Hopefully she’s not at a bar somewhere, pining over that Gaian woman again. For the most part, Scorpia’s drinking has been much better than it was before, but she still slips up occasionally, and Shey Leonis is yet another bad habit of hers. The council said that the Gaian ambassador spoke passionately for the release and pardon of our entire family, but she wasn’t around to see us when we were set free. That’s for the best, I think. As much as my respect for Shey has grown, she’s no good for my sister. Scorpia’s heart can get the better of her sometimes.

“Why should I know?” Drom asks.

“She’s visiting Ca Sineh again,” Lyre says, splashing one foot through the water. Drom shudders, and I grimace. Speaking of Scorpia’s heart, that option isn’t any better.

“I don’t know how she can spend so much time in that place,” Drom says. “An underwater prison? No fuckin’ thank you.”

Nibiru has no death penalty, but its famous super-maximum-security prison has to be one of the worst fates in the system. Still, I can understand why Scorpia visits so frequently. I feel the weight of the guilt, too. We knew the Nibirans never would have gone through with their agreement with Gaia if they knew that Leonis had tried to betray them. We couldn’t let innocent Gaians suffer for her choice, so we twisted the truth—and the Red Baron crew was blamed entirely for the attack on Nibiru, with Leonis’s name left out of the official record despite Captain Murdock’s insistence she was involved. The pirates will be imprisoned beneath the ocean for the rest of their lives.

We all pleaded for mercy for Orion and Izra and the others who helped us, argued that they didn’t know what they were transporting, but the Nibirans weren’t willing to grant reprieve to anyone involved in the plot. And no matter how much Scorpia keeps arguing for their release, I know it’s unlikely that the council will change their minds.

“Have you been keeping tabs on her, then?” I ask Lyre.

She shrugs noncommittally. “I just think someone should make sure she isn’t doing anything stupid.”

I nod. If Lyre is watching her, that’s one less thing I have to worry about.

“Thanks for keeping an eye out.” I turn to Drom and gesture at the hoverboat. “Help me take today’s catch in.”