Instead he got a tufted chin; sallow, wrinkled skin; and tired blue eyes that had stared into his own a thousand times.

Leo heard his brother take in a sharp breath.

“Kat, are you getting this?” Baz asked.

“Yeah, we’re getting it,” Kat said.

Leo’s already racing heart somehow beat faster, and he shook off a wave of dizziness, trying to keep the image in focus. This was not some message recorded in secret and transmitted across star systems through a hacked watch. This was a live transmission beamed to every ship in Earth’s orbit as well as every communications tower on the surface. Billions of humans would be watching this. All of them staring at the face of Dr. Calvin Fender.

“People of Earth.”

He was dressed the same as when Leo last saw him, except now his wrists were secured with binders. He was no longer an ally or an accomplice, agreeing to assist the Djarik in return for his son’s safe return. He was a prisoner. Two Djarik soldiers dwarfed him on either side, rifles in hand.

“The Djarik empire demands your immediate surrender,” Leo’s father continued. “You are to renounce your allegiance to the Aykarian empire and its sham Coalition, surrender your ships, and commit to dismantling your armies and weapons. Do so, and the Djarik will spare your lives. Refuse . . .” Dr. Fender’s voice faltered and one of the soldiers nudged him with the point of his rifle. “Refuse, and you will be destroyed.”

“Skits says the transmission is definitely coming from that command ship,” Baz said.

That means he’s on board, Leo thought. He’s right there. He glanced again at the giant flagship hovering above them, then back at his father.

The projection of Calvin Fender leaned forward. It felt like he was staring right at Leo. “This will be your only chance,” he said. “The fate of your planet lies in your hands.”

The holo cut out abruptly, their father’s face rippling away, leaving the cockpit in silence.

“What’s happening?” Gareth asked, panicked. “What are they going to do to him?”

Kat threw both Fenders a sympathetic look, then turned back to the controls. “What’s the move, Captain?”

After a beat, Baz’s voice echoed over the open channel again. “Commander Marcellis. These guys aren’t bluffing; they have a device that can turn the whole planet to atoms. But we have the means to stop them. If you’ll just listen—”

“We don’t collude with pirates,” Marcellis interrupted forcefully. “And we will not surrender to these Djarik terrorists either. They attacked us once before and paid the price. They will pay it again. If I were you, Captain Black, I would stay out of the way and we will deal with you later.”

“Commander Marcellis . . . ,” Baz barked, but he got no response. The Coalition ship had shut off communications.

“That settles that,” Kat muttered.

“It looks like the Djarik command ship is opening its hangars,” Zennia said. “The EDF fleet is moving to intercept. This party is definitely starting.”