“Unintentionally, perhaps.” Naomi’s forehead crinkled in pain. “She came down, when I was saying goodbye to Cole. She said it was her responsibility to pull the plug, to see to the bodies. I thought it was a kindness.”

Hart’s eyes were filled with pity. “She did it so she could make sure no one found out what was hidden behind them. To check the cryopods still had power and the embryos were still safe.”

Naomi let out a sob but swallowed the others. The grief for Cole rose up as fresh as the day it’d happened. After so many years under her roof, Naomi knew how to work through Valerie’s likely thought patterns. “What if the bodies weren’t even damaged? She saw that the fuel efficiency was compromised, and rather than risk the embryos, she could have adjusted the screen readouts. What if—what if we were the ones who voted to kill them?”

Hart left the strawberry plants, coming close and resting a hand on Naomi’s forearm. “I wish I could say I couldn’t see her doing that, but I’m not going to lie to you, Lovelace. Valerie Black needs fealty. Hell, doing it could have been a test. What do we choose to do when faced with such a tough decision? We made the choice she wanted. We agreed to pull the plug. Maybe that means she knows that, when push comes to shove, we’d fall into line with the embryos. Or whatever else she’s up to.”

Naomi had no response to that. She gripped the empty algae tube so hard it’d have shattered if it wasn’t reinforced.

Hart continued, relentless. “Valerie always had that loyalty from you, and she knew this. She’s well aware Oksana and Jerrie also feel like they owe her everything. Valerie could give you all that NASA no longer could. A chance to come up here.”

“Weren’t you desperate to go to space?” Naomi asked.

Hart laughed. “Not really. I mean, it’s cool and all, don’t get me wrong. A monumentally important moment, arguably the defining moment of humanity. We’ll go down in the history books, and that’s damn satisfying, even if they might paint us as the villains. But I also would have been happy enough back on Earth. With my friends, my family. I’m never going to see my niece grow up. She’s only two. When those I love are dying, I won’t be able to say goodbye in person. Of all of you, I think I left behind the most. Oksana already gave up everything when she left Russia. Jerrie’s been cut off from her family since she came out, and she pulled away from her friends when she realised we had an actual shot at this. You did the same, didn’t you?”