Boo tried again. “Aaaarrrghh?”

Kat winced, unconvinced.

Baz pointed down the corridor. “Skits has hacked into the mainframe. She says the bridge is that way. Engine room is behind us. You two go do your thing and Leo and I will meet you back here in two shakes.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Kat said with a mock salute.

Leo watched as she and Boo strolled casually down the corridor, looking more like they were taking a walk through the woods than pillaging a paralyzed starship. If it wasn’t for the rifle slung across Kat’s shoulder—recently acquired from Zennia, Baz’s bounty hunter ex-girlfriend—you might not even know they were pirates.

This wasn’t exactly what Leo imagined when he pictured a boarding. His past experience with Baz had been filled with smoke and gunfire, explosions and expletives. In the span of a day Leo had found himself shot at on three separate occasions. Not to say that he was getting used to it. Only that by comparison, this seemed too easy.

Then again, if pirating was always dangerous and deadly, pirates would probably find some other way to make a living.

“This way,” Baz said. “Stay behind me. And don’t shoot unless . . . hey . . . Where’s the gun?”

“Gave it to Kat,” Leo admitted. “Trust me. We’re all safer this way.”

Baz didn’t bother to argue. “In that case, stay right behind me.”

They made their way through the ship; most of the doors they passed were sealed, and those that weren’t revealed empty rooms. One was clearly a lounge of some kind. Next door sat a huge round chamber buzzing and flashing with all kinds of strange machines. “Casino,” Baz said. “Or at least the Darkashi equivalent. They come here to piss all their pentars away. Sometimes they watch live video feeds of battles between the Aykari and Djarik and bet on the outcome.”

Leo shook his head trying to picture this room full of stubby-legged Darkashi with drinks in hand watching one of the giant vid-screens as starships exploded and hundreds of creatures perished, all the while trading chips based on the tally of the dead. “That’s terrible. Why would anyone bet on something like that?”

“We’re all doing it,” Baz replied. “One way or another. Most of us just don’t do it while eating hors d’oeuvres.”

A hundred more steps and they found themselves near the aft of the ship, staring at the door that led to the ship’s engines and its faster-than-light-speed drive. Baz swiped his hand over the console. Locked. The captain pounded on the door. “Whoever is in there, open up. This is Bastian Black, terror of the galaxy. Let me in and I promise I will spare your miserable little life.”

“‘Terror of the galaxy?’” Leo whispered.

“Too much?” Baz wondered. “Oh well. Guess we could just try to blast our way in.” But just as he unholstered his remaining pistol, a hidden speaker chimed in with a familiar voice.

“Attention passengers and crew. This is Katarina Corea, first mate of the pirate ship Icarus. This vessel is currently under our control. We’re not here to hurt you, but we could probably live with the guilt if we did. Therefore I advise each one of you to remain behind closed doors and don’t attempt anything foolish. Anyone disobeying this command will be dealt with most severely.”