The Pherzul lashed her tail and fluffed her feathers. “We must kill the bad hunter. Let’s do it already and go home!”

Helix touched the top of Aevi’s head, and it was so unexpected that she settled. “We can’t abandon those who need our help. What would have happened to you if Qalu had simply left you alone when you needed aid?”

“Oh,” said Aevi, her crest drifting downward. Even her tail motions slowed. “Yes. It’s often inconvenient being good.”

Just then, Praxys fired up the engines. It seemed that he’d gotten permission for departure. He confirmed that supposition by saying, “We have a limited window for our exodus, and they can’t lower the external shields, which means—”

“You’ll need help hacking the energy signature,” Helix finished.

If they matched the ship shields to the same frequency as the facility, it ought to permit them to pass. And if the Vault authorities couldn’t get the locks working under the circumstances, Qalu had no doubt that Helix could override the station system. A brute force takeover probably wouldn’t win them any friends. That was how he’d ended up making powerful enemies that were hunting him still, over saving one family. Well, that and the credits he’d stolen. It was impossible not to be equal measures amused and relieved that he was being hunted for such a worthy reason, because a lonely child on Gravas Station had befriended him. Even as an AI he’d had heroic tendencies.

“Would you mind assisting Nita?”

“Not at all,” Helix said.

Now that she was familiar with the expression, she recognized the moment when he…stepped away from his body. His eyes went distant and unseeing, and he was part of the ship, seeing and experiencing the world in a way she couldn’t imagine. It bothered her because this was an unknowable aspect of him, one she could never share.

Rather than focus on that sense of estrangement or their imminent danger, she went to see if she could help Maglan and Bojak. As it turned out, they had the matter well in hand, and the ship shifted beneath her feet as Praxys piloted them out of the facility, navigating the series of locks and bays with an expertise she admired. The Barathi didn’t seem unnerved by much of anything, taking constant peril in even stride.

“You might want to buckle in,” Bojak said.

Since she couldn’t help in this situation, a sensation she was all too familiar with, Qalu took the excellent advice. In the hub, she settled into a seat and arranged the harnesses around her and Aevi, who buried her face in Qalu’s neck. The Pherzul needed fresh air and sunshine, space to stalk and hide and play. Long-term, it wouldn’t be fair to keep Aevi living as a fugitive, but Qalu couldn’t bear the thought of parting with her either.