“It’s the Youth Moon,” Pine whispered to Caledonia, crouched next to her in the tall ferns that spilled out of the forest toward the pebbled beach. “An unpredictable moon, full of fickle desires and high passions.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Caledonia answered.

“Could go either way. It’s just superstition, of course,” he said, but his eyes flicked again to the moon and his lips pressed together in a thin line.

Once Sledge had agreed to take the ship, Pine had glued himself to her side. His usual surly demeanor was gone, replaced by ready attention that was unnervingly agreeable. Sledge may have been the leader, but the minute a fight was promised, it was Pine who pushed him in the right direction. He’d been solid as stone until the appearance of the Youth Moon.

“Stay steely, Pine,” Caledonia soothed with a firm tone. “The moon is slim and will conceal us exactly as we need to be concealed.”

The Bullet ship was a sweeper class ship, so named for the periodic pulse it emitted in order to trigger any mines waiting in the surrounding waters. Its primary purpose was to clear the way for more deadly ships that followed. Sledge had explained that the colonists were once so adept at setting traps for Aric’s ships that sweepers became the first choice for conscription runs. It had been years since the colonists fought back, but the ships were still used because in addition to their pulse, they also had large bellies.

Pine fidgeted next to her, eyes pinned to the orange glow of the countdown holo. It hung in the air above the deck of the ship, clearly visible from the shore.

“It was a ship like this one that collected you?” she asked.

“Of course.” His eyes flicked to her, suspicious and confused. “If you’re about to ask if that makes me nervous, I’ll be disappointed.”

In fact, she had been trying to determine exactly how to ask that question. Pisces would have known. Pisces would have asked it before they were crouched in a thick of ferns waiting for the signal to advance. And she’d have done it so seamlessly, Pine might not have noticed. But Caledonia had never been good with the human side of commanding a crew.

Irritated at having been so obvious, she changed course. It was always better to be direct. “Why did you support my plan?”

This time his glare was annoyed. “Because it was the best option.”

“You might have traded me to the colonists,” she pointed out. “You’d have bought yourself some time and been rid of me all at once.”

“The thought occurred to me,” he said, turning his dark eyes fully on her. “But I don’t have to like you to agree with you. It was a temporary solution at best.”

She smiled. “And I’m a permanent solution?”