When I arrive, I try not to notice how many empty spaces define the small, gray room. Flatts. Grant. Birgar. All gone. We stand around the parameter in a circle, leaning up against the bulkhead and crossing our arms over our chests. The VIPERs are back in their menacing battle dress.

I choke down my hatred. Never again will I push my skin against the URE's colors. I don't serve them anymore.

I take my place in the circle. "Civilian casualty report?"

Coodi steps up and opens her PAHLM. My eyes widen in shock. I forgot that those were still functional.

Knuckles catches my eye. He opens his hand and tosses the contents to me.

It's my PAHLM. The old one he replaced back in the clinic when he first told me I was pregnant. The crack from my trip down the vents splits the tiny black device in two. Its crevice is rough against the pad of my thumb as I rub it like a lucky rabbit foot. It ignites, blue pixels warming my hand.

But I don't put it on.

"Sixteen civilians, two VIPER, and one officer."

"Nineteen. So we're at just under two thousand souls on board."

"Correct, Commander."

My mouth dries. I wish I had Kai's message to project on the wall so they'd know it's nothing I did or nothing I had control over. I wish there was something else I could say besides 'we're toast, folks.'

"There's been a development," I start lamely. No shit. "Captain Moon of the HMS Valediction has received a message from another ARC."

They bubble up in excitement. No, don't be happy. This is terrible. I'm about to become the harbinger of your destruction.

"It was a distress call. They've been taken hostage."

Their faces morph to soldier-mode. Resolute, they hear distress and they want to answer it with guns and fists. I know them so well. I am them.

The next part is so hard to describe—it catches in my lungs and hitches to my neck. I can't pull the words out, even if I were to stick my fingers down my throat and pry them out.

"Which one is it?" McCroy asks. There's a peck of fear in his question.

I can't speak. My mouth opens and I try to say the word. Four, I say in my mind. Four. Just say four. It's the one with the people that still matter.

Coodi must sense my distress. "Commander?" She steps forward into the center of the room. "Is it ARC9? Do they have Hayomo?"

Hayomo. My fists curl at my side. "No. It's not ARC9. It's ARC4."

Knuckles chuffs a sarcastic laugh. "Considering our last exchange with the noble ARC4, they must believe they're quite fucked."

I glare at him. "We have been given one opportunity to ensure their safe return to NOHA's caravan."

My VIPERs' attentiveness is my undoing. I absorb their eagerness, their solemnity—all except Knuckles—their readiness to leap into action. I can't do it. I can't tell them that the solution is so hopeless.

So don't.

A voice in my head rings out like a blaring alarm through the dead of the morning. The cracked PAHLM reflects light from the sconces surrounding us. It catches a ray and hits me square in the eye. There's always another way.

I grip it tight and cross my arms over my chest. "But we're not negotiating with those who hold our people's freedom for ransom. We didn't bust out of one prison to be holed up in another."

Coodi's jaw drops. "What are you saying, Commander?"

"I'm saying, we go rogue. We rescue ARC4 on our terms."

Umpire scratches his chin. "What're they asking, Reaper Boss?"

I face the circle again. "Whatever they want, it doesn't matter. We're not in the market to barter."

They don't whisper among themselves like I expected them to. They watch me with fierce expectations in their frowns.

"It sounds like you have a plan, Commander," Avant says.

I try not to bite my lip. I need time to figure this out. "You've been briefed on the current situation, but I'm still in the process of strategizing our role. Return here at—" I look over at Coodi who flashes her PAHLM's clock in my direction. The raised blue pixels blare a bright 0903. Holy fucking Heap, it's still technically morning. "Noon. Meet me back here at noon and we'll discuss further. Dismissed."

Despite yelling the word loud enough to make it echo through the room, no one moves.

They shoot me questioning looks and then turn their confusion to each other. Of course, if I'd just received this kind of nonsense messaging in a read-in, I'd be lost too.

"Trust me," I say as I cut the circle and head for the door. "Just trust me."

John follows me out into the passageways.

"Lorn, wait." Knuckles' boots knock against the grates behind me.

I don't turn to meet him. Instead, he follows me as I high-tail it to my old cabin in Commander's Country.

"What does all this elusive dallying mean? What offer? What aren't you telling them?"

"I'm not hiding anything. I'm trying to think. I need a few minutes alone."

"What is there to think about? Just give us the message you received and we'll—"

I halt and spin around to face him. "No."

He stops just in time to avoid colliding with me.

Leaning in, I close the space between us. "They're not going to hear it. No one should have to hear what I heard. And I'm going to keep it that way."

"You have that look in your eyes."

"What look?" I back away from him.

"That one. The one where I can tell you're about to do something incomprehensibly stupid."

"Maybe. Maybe not. You'll have to wait and see."

***A/N***

Hello, travelers. 

I'm back. I just spent the weekend in St. Louis where I visited my BESTIEEEE and co-host for my podcast, TheWritersXL. If you haven't heard it, we talk a lot about Wattpad, writing on Wattpad, and writing-life in general. This weekend, we were doing a live workshop for the members of the St. Louis Writers' Guild about Wattpad, Twitter, and other digital platforms to help community-building. It was A BLAST. And hopefully I've made a lot of friends over there. 

That's why I couldn't do my Friday update. I was running around the city with shellyxleonn as we prepped for our big events. I even got a chance to brainstorm next-steps with HMS VAL with her because I HAVE COME TO A CROSSROADS.

I thought I was going to go one direction with the ending, but I have decided to make a MAJOR MAJOR SHIFT. I'm so excited to take the story in this new direction. She thinks it's better, I think it's better, and hopefully, you all will love it too. 

While we were there, Shelly, who has also read ARC10 and all my Shin-Hyun Moon stories and declared him HER husband, took me to a park in St. Louis. And look who I found.

It's Juno. 

It's a naked statue, so some might feel it's NSFW: Scroll down to see her. SHE'S STUNNING. 

With different hair, of course. Juno's fire-red dreadlocks twist and curl on top of her head. But in essence, this is big Juno energy. For those of you who've met her, you know.

For those of you who have yet to meet her, her stories and Moon's origin stories are available to read as short stories through 's Take Away the Saints Anthology and 's Space Opera anthology. Both can be found in my reading lists under ANTHOLOGIES.

Hope you're enjoying the story. It's about to pick up speed from here as the plan forms and Janika jumps into action.

Can't wait to revise the ending and share it with you all.

Thanks for all your love and stars⭐️.

❤️L

Ma bad bish.