“Better safe than sorry is one of the Murtaghs’ favorite sayings. Without the lucole SpaceTech stores on the base, they would be outgunned against the Aunare. With war coming… Gotta be prepared. He’s increased IAF presence on the base and in ships around the whole system.”

“Right.” He had a point. If I were my father, Abaddon would the first place I’d destroy. Dismantling the source of SpaceTech’s fuel and weapons was a no-brainer. Still, it was in the middle of SpaceTech’s territory. It’d be hard to get here without causing a war. But if my father knew I was here, he couldn’t attack the base with any long-range weapons.

Maybe that was Jason’s plan? Having me here definitely secured the base. At least until my dad decided to come get me himself and blow it up on his way out the door.

The more I thought about it, the more questions and theories I had. I couldn’t rule anything out yet.

The only thing I knew was that Jason had a plan. That war was coming. And that somehow—some way—I was going to have to survive here long enough to find a way to stop it.

Chapter Sixteen

Ahiga led me through the base. I’d seen a few doors—each marked with letters and numbers—but no windows. Each hallway led to more hallways. And as far as I could tell, the only way outside was through the cargo bay. I was going to dub SpaceTech’s design style as coffin-chic if this kept up.

Eventually, we stopped in front of a door. Ahiga tapped in a code, and it swung open. The room beyond was split into two sections by a counter. The space in front of the counter was empty. Beyond it a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit packed with gear—clothes, weapons, and other odds and ends— covered the walls. A small robot floated in front of them, ready to zoom to work on command.

All the clothes on the shelves were navy, which was much more my color than the diner uniform’s teal or the noxious orange prisoner gear, and I’d be getting something other than the pajamas I’d been wearing for the last two weeks while traveling. Both were good news. Wins.

A man stepped away from the counter, giving me a once over. His brown hair was shaved close to his head, and his eyes were a clear-glass blue. After a long second, he turned to Ahiga, and I was glad his attention was off of me. The way he took in each part of me made me think he might’ve noticed what I was.

“Hey, man. Long time no see.” They exchanged a head nod, handshake thing. “Who’re you bringing to visit me?”

“We’re gonna need full worker gear for her, Matthew.” Ahiga’s chin jutted in my direction.