Eris passed the tablet back to Sher. “What do you want us to do?”

“Impossible to infiltrate,” Kyla said. “Your favorite. We need you to intercept the ship when it docks for fuel. Sneak on board, gather intel, hide a tracer inside so we can track its movements, and get out.” Kyla’s gaze was hard. “Get out being the end goal here. Don’t stay aboard. Don’t commandeer the ship. Do not, under any circumstances, kill anyone. We need to know what the cargo is, who it’s for, and the ship’s final destination. Cloelia will accompany you to ensure you make it on.”

Eris tried not to let her irritation show. “I know how to break into a ship, Kyla. I did it just before you called me in.”

“Clo knows these types of ships inside and out, and I’m not taking any chances. Questions?”

A pause as Clo and Eris looked at one another. Then at the same time: “Who’s in charge?”

Sher grinned. “Told you,” he said to Kyla. “Hand over the scratch and nobody gets hurt.”

“Oh, shut up.” Kyla dug in her pocket, came up with a few coins, and smacked them into his hand. “I’m disappointed in you both.”

“You deserve it,” Clo said. “You shouldn’t have bet on us. Answer the question.”

“Eris has done more ITI missions, so she takes the lead. Clo, follow her command.”

Clo curled her lip. “Do you hate me? Did I piss in your breakfast this morning without realizing? Has everyone here forgotten what happened last year, or do you need a refresher?” She gestured wildly to Eris. “She tried tae kill me.”

Eris rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. If I had actually tried to kill you, then you wouldn’t be here irritating me. I saved your life.”

“Only after nearly taking it to begin with.” She looked at Sher and Kyla, swallowing back her Snarl accent. “You can find someone else to do my bit, right? You have other mechanics and pilots. I’ll train one to get around the Oracle’s watch. I’ll take a shittier mission. But I can’t be around her.”

“No,” Kyla replied tightly. “This is nonnegotiable. You’re both going. And if one of you ends up killing the other, I’m leaving the survivor in the middle of the desert for the birds to pick at.”

Clo tried a different tack: “Sher, please. I don’t understand why—”

“Because it’s stopping for fuel on Myndalia. In Kersh.”

Clo’s head shot up, her nostrils flaring. “Excuse me?”