“At least the kid won’t be killed,” Niko said. It was getting on toward ship eve, and the lighting in the room was ebbing. Most of them had selected a bench to sleep on, but Talon and Skidoo were tangled on the floor.

“I can see why you didn’t want to open the crate,” Dabry said.

“I told you. Responsibilities.”

“I wish—” Dabry began, then broke off as the door crashed open.

21

The door’s slam startled everyone in the room. Niko knew instantly that it wasn’t Turo, who always opened the door more slowly, as well as accompanied by the whirr of drones.

Standing in the doorway with an armload of worksuits, Milly said, “Let’s go.”

“Change your mind about where you were going?” Niko asked tensely.

“Ship wants all of us, won’t leave otherwise.”

“Sucks to be you, I guess.”

Milly eyed her. “I got the girl to the ship. Now I’ve come back for you. Are you really going to ask a lot of questions about that?”

She dumped suits at their feet, each a basic unit. “The Thing made these. The pirates shouldn’t detect us if we go in pairs. Lots of people here, and always someone going somewhere. Thing made each of you a pistol as well.”

“Right,” Niko said. She signaled to the others, and they began putting on the suits. “Talon, you go with Skidoo, Dabry with Gio. That leaves you with me, Milly.”

She eyed the other as though daring her to say anything. Milly only nodded and said, “We’ll need to leave every five minutes, stagger it out.” She described the route for them quickly and efficiently.

“We’ll go last,” Niko said.

“Captain,” Dabry protested, but left off at the shake of her head.

After a quick run-through of the directions to make sure they understood them, Skidoo and Talon left.

“Goddess bless and avert,” Niko said, watching them.

Dabry gave her a sidelong look. “You don’t often swear by her, sir.”

She shrugged. “To ask his gods to bless and protect them hardly seems like a stretch. I don’t know what he’s going to do without his brother.”

She reached out and adjusted the fit of the suit across Dabry’s shoulders. He held his second pair of arms wrapped tightly around his midriff. The effect was that of a tall but portly man, perhaps oddly lumpy in the stomach area, but there were plenty of people in this universe with an extra limb or two.

“You’ve never talked to me about the Ettilite gods,” she said. “I don’t know whom to ask to protect you.”