He wondered what his father would say if he were here. If he would agree to this or try to find another way.

Except he’s not here, is he? He put this all on you.

Leo looked at Crayt. “How long before you know for sure if you can stop it or not?”

The Aykari shook his head slowly. “This is all theoretical. I will not know for certain until I run some tests. My resources here are limited. There is a workshop, and I have materials that I brought with me, but this is still a mining facility—not a research lab. And even if my supposition is proven correct, it will take some time to produce a working countermeasure to the weapon the Djarik have envisioned.”

“How much time?” Kat pressed.

“In human measurements? Hours. Days. Weeks. I will not know until I get started.”

“We may not have weeks,” Leo said. “We may not even have days. You saw the message. You heard my father. He said they were close.”

“He also said he would try to slow them down,” Kat offered. “Maybe he did.”

“Or maybe they caught him trying to sabotage their efforts and are brutally punishing him for it as we speak,” Skits suggested. Kat scowled at her. “What? I’m only pointing out what’s possible.”

Leo turned back to the open bay and the rising sun coloring the sky. “I mean, we have to try.” He glanced over at Baz. “Don’t we?”

“Top of the list,” the captain said. Kat and Boo both nodded. Skits stared intently at Nine, who stared right back.

Crayt handed the core of ventasium to Number One. “It is settled, then. I can get to work developing a testable prototype immediately.”

Baz slapped his hands together. “Great, you do that. In the meantime we’ll go bring the Icarus back here and get her fixed up so that we can scram when we need to.” He turned to Leo and whispered. “Don’t know what you said to him, but whatever it was, it worked. Good job, ninja turtle.”

Leo wasn’t sure himself. He went and stood next to Crayt, who was still holding the rock in one hand, a small fragment of a broken world he’d decided to call home. “I thought you weren’t going to help,” he said. “That it was pointless.”

“You were right. I am hiding,” Crayt replied. “I thought I could find peace here. I believed that by helping the Orin to rebuild I could somehow atone for the damage my kind has done. But it is not enough. I cannot shut my eyes and pretend I do not know what will happen because it has happened before. I cannot stop the Djarik. Not alone. Neither can you. But together . . . perhaps. . . .” He held up the chunk of yellow stone. “Dr. Fender was right to send you here. I think he would be proud of you.”

Leo wasn’t so sure.

“I know I’m no genius or anything. But I’m pretty good with my hands. There has to be some way I can help.”