After weeks locked on the side of a mountain or in a metal tube far beneath the waves, it was a relief to once again stand on the deck of the Luminous Wake. As the ship cruised smoothly away from the canals and out beyond the breaker islands, Caledonia breathed a little easier in spite of what she was here to do.

The ship was in excellent repair and lightly crewed. Only a dozen in all, including the command crew. They wouldn’t be out long. They sailed until Cloudbreak was just a strip of white cliffs against the steely gray sea and then they let the ship drift with the tide.

They’d spent the previous day readying for battle. The deepship crews trained in the open ocean until the very last drop of sunlight fled the sky. Weapons were checked and rechecked, oiled and loaded. As promised, Hesperus outfitted each deepship with more powerful missiles. The underside of the hull of the Luminous Wake had been marked with plates of polished bronze to distinguish her from Bullet ships and prevent the deepship crews from firing on her accidentally. The whole atmosphere of camp shifted to the gently frenzied energy of a looming fight. By the time the sun rose again, they were prepared to make the first move.

Caledonia had gone to wake Sledge and Pine immediately after her conversation with the girls, expecting it to be a challenge to convince them that this was the right move. But they’d merely stood there, shaking off sleep as quickly as they could, waiting for whatever order would follow.

“So . . . you’re on board?” she’d asked, doing her best not to appear nervous.

“Tides, Caledonia.” Pine shook his head in disbelief.

Sledge cleared his throat and tucked his chin to bring his eyes level with hers. “We wouldn’t still be here if we weren’t on board.”

“You don’t need our approval,” Pine added, dressing quickly to follow her. “You’re not just the captain anymore. You’re our commander.”

With that, Pine had given her a small but firm nod, effectively ending the conversation.

Now Caledonia stood in the center of the bridge, surrounded by her command crew, Oran, and Hesperus. Pisces was at her shoulder, her fingertips brushing the back of her arm to let her know she was there. Sledge hulked at the back of the room, leaning carefully against the small map table. Amina and Hime were near, hands clasped between them. Pine had assumed a spot near the wheel, one hand resting on the spokes, though they weren’t in motion. Oran was a dark shadow in the doorway, as far as he could be from Caledonia and still keep her in his sights. And Hesperus was right at her side.

They were poised on the brink of pushing their small rebellion into something decidedly larger. Once they did this, there was no going back.