“You didn’t mess up,” Nyx interjected. “For gods’ sake, Clo, don’t just throw around accusations like that. Ariadne isn’t an amateur.”

“I know that. I’m not throwing around—”

“Stop.” Rhea’s command echoed across the command center. “I sensed Ariadne’s emotions on Ismara. She was confident, and I trust her.”

Everyone went quiet at the reminder. Nyx looked away, hoping Rhea didn’t see the flash of shame in her features, and hoping that she couldn’t feel it now that she wasn’t surrounded by the ichor. Rhea endured Nyx’s lingering programming, all that prejudice commanded from birth. How could she even stand to be in this room with her?

I’m sorry, Nyx wanted to say. I’m so sorry.

“Okay,” Clo said, drifting closer to Rhea and taking her hand. “I’m sure you’re right.”

Rhea went still at Clo’s touch. Rhea’s face shifted to a frown and she gave Eris a hard look. You have so much blood on your hands, Rhea had told Eris back at the barracks.

Nyx’s hands curled into fists. And so do you, Nyx. Don’t be a hypocrite.

The reminder made Nyx scowl. “You two.” Nyx gestured between Clo and Eris. “Can you get over whatever the fuck you’re fighting about, please?”

“Not that simple,” Clo said. She shot Eris a look that burned. “I need to know one thing: will you kill him? If it comes to that? I’m not trusting you with a mission that has no oversight from Kyla or Sher until I have your answer.”

Who? Nyx frowned, catching equally baffled looks from Ariadne, Rhea, and Cato. Something to do with Eris’s past in the Tholosian military?

“Yes.” Eris didn’t hesitate. A soldier’s ruthless response.

“Fine, then,” Clo said, sounding not remotely fucking fine. “We do this without Nova.”

Eris nodded once. She turned to Cato. “Update me on the body. Anything we should know?”

Cato had gone back into the mine’s medical center and retrieved Commander Talley’s body in an airtight body bag. It had been brought on board, quarantined in one of the unused crew quarters that Ariadne had turned into a makeshift lab. With the air vents sealed off, Cato examined the body in a full suit after resting from his deprogramming session. Nyx had heard Eris snapping orders at him through the comms.

After a few tense hours, he joined the others waiting in the command center for news. The scent of disinfectant still clung to him.

Cato let out a slow breath and scratched his cheek. “A few observations,” he said. “The endospore found in the ichor is pretty impressive from a biological-warfare standpoint. When I opened Commander Talley up, deterioration had spread to his lungs—a result of breathing in the spores. Frankly, I’m shocked he lived long enough to speak to you.”