“Which we will do as soon as we get your father’s chip to this Zirkus guy,” Kat added, giving her drink a stir.

“Who do you think he is?” Leo asked. His father’s message had been scant with the details, only saying that he believed Zirkus Crayt to be their best chance.

“Beats me,” Kat said. “Somebody your dad went to school with? President of the Intergalactic Society of Science Geeks? The savior of the universe? Can’t be any weirder than the guy with his brain in a jar.”

She meant Mac—the hacker who had helped Leo track down his father, and who had almost died in the process. Just one more person who had come to Leo’s aid and probably ended up regretting it.

“You aren’t the only one feeling lost and confused,” she continued. “He pretends to be cool about it, but Baz is freaking out, too. He’s got half a mind to just smash the chip to pieces and pretend he never got involved.”

“So why doesn’t he?” Leo asked.

“Not sure. For you, maybe. Or maybe because he gave your father his word, which, believe it or not, is something Baz still honors. Or maybe he finally found something else to care about besides this flying junk heap and its ragtag crew. He was there, after all, the day the Earth was attacked. Just like you. And that’s nothing compared to what the Djarik are planning next. Destroying whole planets . . . that’s a power nobody should have,” Kat concluded.

Do this for me, Leo. It could mean the world.

“And what do you think?” Leo asked.

Kat hesitated. “I’m just following orders.”

Leo knew there was some truth to that. After all, Katarina Corea would take on a whole platoon of Djarik marauders barehanded if Black asked her. But she also questioned the captain at every turn. And he listened to her. Most of the time. “Yeah, but what do you think?”

The first mate swirled the spoon around her cup, staring into the frothy white whirlpool she’d made. “Honestly, I think the Djarik only care about the Djarik and the Aykari only care about the Aykari and the rest of us have been caught in between for too long. Maybe whatever’s on this chip can make a difference. If it finds its way into the right hands.”

“Crayt’s?”

Kat shrugged. “Well, it sure isn’t ours—I don’t understand most of what’s on there. Even Skits can’t make heads or tails of it. Besides, there’s a reason your father did what he did. He didn’t tell you to take it to the Aykari, or anyone in the Coalition. That means he doesn’t trust them with it.” She gave him a searching look. “Who do you trust, Leo?”

Leo let his chin dig back into his arms. This question used to be so easy to answer.

Kat tapped her metallic fingers against the table, click-click-click; some habits rubbed off. “Did Baz ever mention the time I almost slit his throat?” she asked.