Clo focused on the command deck. The stars outside the wide glass began to blur. Clo shifted her leg, the prosthetic rubbing against her skin. The last time Eris had done what she thought was best, Clo had lost a piece of herself. She waited for the anger to emerge and crawl across her skin, but it didn’t. After holding that rage for so long, she understood that it wasn’t directed at Eris for making that practical, ruthless decision to save Clo’s life by amputating a leg.

No, that fury had been over a loss of trust. Over the lies.

But Eris hadn’t lied to her. She’d saved Clo’s life—twice. Clo wasn’t about to abandon her.

“Then we operate on the assumption that she’s alive,” Clo said. “We go after her, and we complete this damn mission. We save the people on Laguna.”

“Why?” Cato asked, crossing his arms.

“What the fuck do you mean, why?” Clo curled her hands into fists. “Is your programming still stuck? Or are you that heartless by choice? Let me know right now so I can shove your ass out the airlock.”

Cato glanced at Nyx, and even she looked uncertain. Clo couldn’t fluming believe this.

“Nyx?” Rhea’s voice was soft. “You think we shouldn’t. I can feel it.”

Shame flashed in Nyx’s features. “The Oracle’s programming would tell me that the Evoli deserve this. That their Empire is as brutal as ours.”

“Well, let me cut through that bullshit right now,” Clo snapped. “We have Evoli members of the resistance. They had to come to us because the Tholosians are doing everything they can to steal their resources and starve their people. So, you can judge their priests if you want for being brutal to survive, but don’t stand there and tell me that thousands of their citizens deserve to die. Thousands of our citizens too. This will be a massacre on both sides and Damocles doesn’t give a damn who dies.”

For the first time since Clo had met the soldier, Nyx looked taken aback. Frayed at the edges. Even Cato had the decency to seem guilty. Clo was trying to understand what they were going through—the lingering programming in their thoughts, the effort it took to fight against it. But they couldn’t afford one iota of doubt. Not now.

“I understand,” Nyx said, gentler. “But without Eris, we don’t have leadership. Laguna is going to be surrounded by security—both Tholosian and Evoli. Infiltrating a planet with that level of protection isn’t going to be easy.”

“It’s impossible,” Cato agreed. “And how do we know Damocles will take Eris to Laguna for the ceremony? He could have already killed her.”