Sable crossed his arms, turning to the water. “It had occurred to me.” Beneath the vibrant red and blue of the sky, the water looked gray, the waves like hammered steel. “Striking a deal would be easier than me having to force my way into that den of yours to get what I need. I hope we can find a way to compromise. The only way we survive is together, which you realize or you wouldn’t be here.”

“I have over four hundred people,” Perry said. “If you can’t accommodate all of them, then I have nothing more to say to you.”

“I can. I have room for all of them on the fleet.”

Perry knew why Sable had space on the Hovers—but he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “What happened to the Dwellers from the Komodo?”

“You were there,” Sable answered without looking away from the ocean.

“I want to hear you say it.”

Sable’s temper heated at Perry’s tone, and a low growl rumbled from Flea.

“Quite a few were lost during the insurrection. Hess’s fault, not mine. I was trying to avoid bloodshed. Of those who survived, I kept the useful ones. Pilots. Doctors. A few engineers.”

He had kept them and killed the rest. Fury washed over Perry, though he wasn’t surprised.

“How many weren’t useful?” he asked. He didn’t know why he needed a number. Maybe it was the only way to grasp the loss. To connect with people who’d died senselessly. Maybe he wanted to quantify Sable’s ruthlessness. Futile, Perry knew. He could drop a stone into the black well of Sable’s heart and never hear it hit the bottom.

“I don’t see how it makes any difference, Perry. They were just Dwellers. Ahh . . . wait. I see now. Aria. She’s made you sympathetic to the Moles, hasn’t she? Of course she has. Amazing. Three hundred years of segregation undone by a single girl. She must be as incredible as she looks.”

“So that we’re clear,” Perry said, “I don’t care if it means everyone on this earth loses any chance of surviving. If you mention her to me again, I will take your head off and watch your blood pool at my feet.”

Sable’s eyes narrowed, his mouth turning up in a faint smile. “I’ve made many enemies in my life, but I do think you’re my finest achievement.” He turned back to the water. Across the southern horizon, only a mile away at points, funnels lashed down. “I did what I had to do in the Komodo. You know what happened in the Unity. I had no interest in being discarded by the Moles. In being shut out by them like some mangy dog left in the rain. No offense to your friend here. I have Dweller numbers that I can control now. That was my only intention.”