“Whatever happens after this, I want to say that I’m thankful for everything you’ve done.” A frown bent Sledge’s lips as he spoke. “You encouraged us to move and fight when I would have let us hide until it got us killed. You gave us everything we needed to help bring Bullets back, and that has meant a great deal to me.”

It was so rare for Sledge to open up like this. Caledonia was afraid that if she spoke, she would destroy the moment.

“There was a time after we pulled you out of the ocean when I regretted doing it.” His frown deepened and his shoulders shifted uncomfortably. “When the bombs fell and everything I’d worked so hard to create was destroyed in the space of a few moments. I blamed you.” He pushed out a puff of air. “I almost sent you packing. But I knew that you’d lost as much as any of us, and if you could still find it in you to fight, then I could, too. I’ll never regret that choice. I don’t think any of us will.”

Tears warmed in Caledonia’s eyes and she blinked furiously to hold them at bay. Sledge did the same, but with less success. Two large tears slid down his tan cheeks.

“It has been an honor, Captain,” he said, raising his hands, palms out.

Caledonia raised her hands to his, letting the pads of her fingers press into his skin. “May the seas be your ally,” she said.

“And yours,” Sledge answered.

His fingertips were warm against hers, and heat pooled between the palms of their hands as they stood. There were no guarantees in this fight. The only thing either of them knew for sure was it had the potential to change everything. And there was no telling who would live and who would die.

“Thank you for saving my life,” Caledonia said, not sure if she’d ever said it. She smiled even as her lungs swelled with something like sorrow. It was so easy to let the terrible moments in her past dictate who she was now, but there were just as many good moments. It wasn’t only Lir or Donnally who had made her who she was, it was Sledge and Pisces and Nettle. It was Redtooth and Lace and Triple and Hesperus. Oran. “Thank you for fighting with me.”

With one final smile, Sledge answered, “Thank you for showing me there was more than one way to win a war.”

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Sledge’s fleet sailed away from the Holster, each flying flags bearing Caledonia’s sigil, which glittered against the dawn sky. For a long while, those still waiting to shove off could track them. They watched as the lights traveled steadily away until the sea and the sky swallowed the ships whole.