There was no way they could save the Mors Navis.

She would be handled by Bullets who would not love her. They wouldn’t hear the soft sigh of her transformer with the same fondness, nor would they appreciate the triumph that was the deployment of her masts or keel. They didn’t know her history, and they would give her the most violent future imaginable.

There was every chance that the next time she saw this ship, she’d be fighting against it. The thought left her cold and empty, and there was exactly nothing she could do for it.

This was goodbye, the end of the Mors Navis.

Caledonia clenched her teeth, grinding them together until her jaw ached, and forced herself to look away. The ship was gone, but her sisters remained.

The tug pulled them between the long arms of the wall and to the harbor within. Several smaller boats darted out to meet them, guiding them along as the great walls of the harbor closed behind them, locking them inside.

Caledonia kept her sights on the knifelike city ahead of her. Rows of low-statured buildings, each gilded with glittering black solar panes, raced to a sharpened point high in the eastern hills while the base of the blade butted against an impressive network of docks in the harbor below. It was the largest town Caledonia had ever seen, and even from a distance the object of its design was visible. This was a city of order, in which hiding would be impossible.

Thankfully, hiding in the city wasn’t their goal. Their goal was to remain in plain sight, safely on board the Beacon. They would dock, check in with the harbor master, then work on repairing their ship while Caledonia, Pine, and Triple searched for the crew. It was a plan with a deadline. If they didn’t find the girls by the time repairs were done, they had to get out regardless.

The gangway hit the dock with a resounding thump, firmly connecting them to Bullet territory. From this point forward, everything they did would be face-to-face. It would require a subtle cunning that was as foreign to Caledonia as life on land. She looked out over the town, glittering and teeming with activity, and she felt a shadow of fear slip down her spine.

“This is just procedure,” Pine said, taking her elbow in hand. “They’re expecting Bullets, so that’s what they’ll see.”

Sledge came to join them with Triple close behind. “Manifest ready to go?”

“Ready,” Triple said, raising a thick clipboard in one hand. “We’ve got names and ranks for everyone.”

“Then, if we’re ready?” Sledge’s focus was already at the bottom of the gangway, where six Bullets waited to receive them.