Rhea felt a bit of Nyx’s pride beneath those words, a warm blue glow. Cato had risen to the challenge. Rhea realized that Nyx saw him as an ally—someone else who had been a soldier and gone through the agony of deprogramming. A kindred spirit.

“Remember,” Rhea told the two soldiers. “No deaths.”

“What about maiming?” Nyx asked. “Because maiming seems highly likely.”

“No maiming unless you really can’t help it. And even then, only a little maiming,” Ariadne admonished, firm despite their fourteen inch height difference.

Rhea almost laughed, until she remembered that Ariadne had seen so much violence in recent days.

Nyx checked the various weapons, then passed Cato a gun and a belt knife. He took them solemnly.

“Five minutes,” Clo warned them.

Rhea was nervous; Clo and Ariadne were remaining behind on Zelus, which meant she’d be left alone with two people familiar with military missions. Rhea felt like the odd person out, even if she trusted Nyx to lead.

“Right,” Nyx said. “Ari, start blocking Lysicrates’s comms—they’re in range if needed?”

“Just barely.” Ariadne’s brow furrowed as she concentrated. The rest of the group stayed silent as Ariadne worked her magic. When she finished, she sat back with a small nod.

“Nyx,” Clo called. “Let’s do this.”

Nyx took up station next to Clo, ready to fire Zelus’s weapons. The unsuspecting Lysicrates came into view. A sleek ship, weaving through the debris of the asteroid belt with ease. The computers ran a scan and returned with a detailed blueprint of the Tholosian craft overlaid with the heat signatures of the crew.

“Twenty souls on board,” Clo said.

Rhea held her breath. There was no turning back.

Nyx tapped the options on the screen. “Shuttles are good to go. Kid, will you be able to open the doors to their loading docks if they don’t comply?”

“Not even a challenge,” Ariadne replied, rolling her shoulders. Sometimes, the girl amazed Rhea. Few others in the galaxy would be able to do what she just did, and she treated it like it was no more difficult than making a cup of coffee in the canteen. “Nyx, I’m about to put you on over their comm system. You remember the codes, right?”

Nyx nodded once, and Ariadne gave her an encouraging wave when she made the connection.

“Attention, Lysicrates,” Nyx sent to their ship. “This is Commander Hypathia Arktos-2. I’m going to need you to stand down for an emergency. Who am I speaking to?”

“Legate Cognos Philan-49.” A deep voice. Firm, authoritative. Ready to fight or die for his honor if need be. “What’s the problem, Commander?”

“Emergency code 06933. We’ve got a busted jump, little food, a glitching navigation system, and we’re running out of fuel. Just a bit of a fucked-up situation here, sir.”