Qalu swore silently. It seemed as if she’d panicked and possibly made the situation worse. They’d gotten off planet, but were now traveling with a group being hunted by others. When all the pursuits converged, it would probably be dreadful.

“Did we lose them?” Carow inquired.

“All signs indicate that is the case. I’m obfuscating our ion trail to ensure we don’t bring trouble to Altarion.”

“What’s that?” Qalu asked.

She tried not to flinch when so many strangers stared at her. At heart, she wasn’t an adventurous soul, and she didn’t enjoy meeting new people. That was why she’d spent most of her life in the lab, focused on research. Aevi sensed her nerves and nuzzled against her, making rumbles that were meant to be reassuring.

Praxys faced her with a ready candor she appreciated. “Altarion is a settlement allied with us. Some of the droids and AIs that we’ve rescued abide there, although I think it’s too obvious a destination for Helix. We’re known to frequent Altarion, so it will be the first place Krag comes once he makes the connection.”

“We have to refuel somewhere,” Carow said. “And plan for the trap.”

“Lure the hunter to a remote location,” Aevi said. “We should avoid making a mess for others to clean up. When Krag is dead, he becomes food. Not for me,” she added hastily, after receiving a few startled glances. “Pherzuls never touch carrion.”

“Good advice,” Bojak said.

“If a trifle specific and disturbing,” Maglan added.

“Would it be possible to lure multiple pursuers?” Nita asked. “We have wasted much time and expended many resources simply eluding the ones who hunt me. It seems more efficient if we could eliminate multiple opponents simultaneously, but I am unsure whether that is feasible. The more enemies we face, the more our statistical probability of success diminishes.”

Maglan seemed to be the mediator, and before anyone else could reply, they said, “Let’s get to Altarion. We’ve been living on alert and could use some downtime. Once we’re a bit more rested, we should be able to make better decisions.”

That sounded sensible to Qalu, who didn’t feel comfortable speaking up. Fortunately, the rest of the group did, communicating consensus, and Praxys said, “Nita, set coordinates for Altarion, maximum speed. Our fuel cells will be tapped when we get there, and we can’t afford more complications en route.”

“Understood. Engaging shadow protocol.”

What does that mean?

Qalu’s demeanor must have reflected some curiosity because Bojak said, “It’s not exactly like a cloaking device, but it lets us hide somewhat from ship sensors.”

“Not visual stealth then but a program that fools those scanning for us?” she guessed.

“Exactly. You’re clever, but that goes without saying, considering you’ve achieved what nobody else has.”