Andi’s heart pounded, furious, in her chest. “I’d give anything to have them back.”

“Andi,” Dex said, a warning in his voice.

She knew he was afraid to lose her, afraid she’d risk too much of herself for the sake of rescuing her girls. But she couldn’t hide from the truth of her heart, and she wouldn’t protect him from it, either.

“Most would say the same, after losing what they love,” the figure in the darkness said.

“True.” Andi raised a brow. “But when I say things, I mean them.” She stepped closer, wondering who Arachnid really was, to hide in the shadows like this, and how he dared to ask her such questions.

She stopped at the edge of the flames, feeling the warmth dancing on her face, the firelight flickering off her metal cheekbones. “To have my crew back, to see them walk free from the false queen... I’d give my life.”

Dex’s breath came out in a whoosh behind her.

Then the red lights blinked out, and only darkness stared back at them both.

“Is that the wrong answer?” Andi asked. Frustration picked at her, an obnoxious little creature she couldn’t shake, and she was about to turn away when the darkness shifted once more.

A massive figure, clad in crimson armor, stepped forward from the shadows. Andi couldn’t see a face beyond the dented, war-torn helmet concealing the figure from view. But the spidery droid that sat upon its shoulder, red eye-lights blinking to life again, explained the strange voice.

“No,” Arachnid said. “I can give you what you desire.”

“And what do you want from us in return?” Andi asked, walking closer to the firelight.

“Didn’t anyone tell you why you’re here?” Robotic laughter filtered from the droid on Arachnid’s shoulder. “You came here without knowing why. What if this were a trap? What if it is a trap?”

Fury began to writhe within Andi.

“We came here because your people saved us,” Dex snapped. He gestured in the direction of the ceiling, indicating the surface of the planet. “No one out there controls their own minds, but your people do. That’s enough for me to hope we’re on the same side. Call us foolish, stupid or whatever you want, but we can help each other.”

“How do you propose to help me?” Arachnid asked.

Andi knew their fighting skills were unmatched, but that wasn’t enough to bargain with. There was only one thing they had that could be used as leverage—something that was of the utmost importance.

“We have information.” She grabbed Dex’s wrist and unfastened the silver band Alfie was programmed into. “Inside this watch is a chip with detailed information about Nor’s half brother, Valen Cortas. We believe he’s a key to how the virus works.”

“And what do you wish in exchange for this information?”