Sucking in a deep breath, I plastered a confident look on my face as we followed Fornax down the corridor towards the war rooms once more. Her laugh echoed around us but I was barely paying attention to her words. I had to look relaxed, self-assured and ready despite the fear bubbling in my stomach.

I needed Aquila’s talk with Councillor Harvey to have gone well. She’d taken much longer than we’d expected which could be a good sign. Or maybe it was a terrible sign. Maybe he’d rejected her suggestion and was sending Guardians and the IA to attack Freo right now.

Cas squeezed my hand, interrupting my thoughts and shot me a gentle smile. I returned it as we entered the busy outer war room. It wasn’t very busy, which felt promising to me, and for once Orion wasn’t at his desk. It was strange. His salutes still made me feel a little uncomfortable but when he wasn’t on shift, I did miss him a little.

“Ready to do this?” Fornax asked my crew but her eyes were on me.

“Yeah!” Gem called but I just nodded.

The heavy door swung open and my eyes immediately found Aquila’s face. I scanned it, trying desperately to work out how her call with Harvey went but her expression was inscrutable.

Almost as if she felt my eyes on her face, she turned to look at me and nodded. A mixture of relief and fear flooded my heart sending it fluttering. He’d accepted her offer. We could get Peggy back.

I might die.

I followed my crew across the room to our normal seats and sat down, accepting the cup of coffee from Chal with a distracted smile.

“Aries, can I speak to you in the side room before the meeting begins?” Andy asked quietly.

I looked up in surprise.

“Of course,” was out of my mouth before I could worry too much about what he was going to say.

He stood and crossed to the door, holding out a hand in front of the hidden scanner and gestured for me to enter first.

Be right back, I thought to the others as I entered the crowded room.

It looked how it did the last time I’d been taken in there for a private talk, filled with boxes, but I examined them carefully to avoid looking at Andy.

“Were you in the meeting with Harvey?” I asked finally when I couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

“I was,” he replied.

My tongue darted out to wet my lips which suddenly felt very dry.

“And?”

I did look at him then. I could see the answer written in the sympathy on his face.

“He accepted it, didn’t he?” I said before Andy could say anything.

“He did.”

I let out a slow breath. I knew that it was likely Harvey would accept it but hearing someone say it made it feel a little too real.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Aries?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Of course, I have to. It’s my job as Captain of the crew. You taught me that sometimes Captains have to make sacrifices for the good of their crew.”

He sighed softly and I knew he was remembering some of the meetings we’d had where we’d discussed what it meant to be a Captain.

“Sometimes I worry I taught you that too well,” he said with a smile that bordered on sad.

“Maybe,” I admitted. “But I know that if you were in my position, you’d do the same thing.”

Andy pursed his lips as he considered it.

“I would,” he allowed.

“But it wouldn’t make sense for you to give yourself up now,” I said with a shrug. “He’d probably kill you immediately but I have more chance of making it out alive if I’m caught.”

He cocked his head to the side.

“Tell me your reasoning?”

I knew he was asking to make sure that I’d truly thought this through and knew the risks.

“Well, he has no real reason to keep you alive apart from to torture you for information but I think he’d be too angry to do that. Cas said he’s less of a planner, more impulsive, and I definitely saw that when I was in prison last time. I don’t think he’d torture me too much. He might expect more from me this time but he still thinks that all drafts are idiots so maybe he’ll be thinking that this was all your plan or someone else’s. I don’t think he’d try to get much information from me, he probably just thinks I’d sit back and wait for y’all to rescue me and then he’ll use that as an opportunity to attack Freo if he can.”

The words poured out of my mouth and, once they were out, Andy was silent for a moment.

“He might but there is still the possibility that he will torture you. He knows you have mods now, as we’ve seen from Peggy. Will you be alright if he takes them out?”

I felt my heart stop for a moment before beginning to race.

I hated the idea of my mods being removed. I was so used to them, they were a natural part of me. I couldn’t bear the idea of not being able to communicate with my crew over thought.

A shiver went down my spine. I wouldn’t be able to hear the Guardians approaching my cell if they got me this time. I’d be unprepared. Unprotected.

I met Andy’s eyes again and I found myself wanting to lie but I pushed that aside. Andy knew me too well, he’d see through my lie.

“I hate the idea of it but I understand that it’s a possibility,” I said, my voice slightly unsteady.

Andy nodded before glancing back towards the door.

“Captain Aquila is going to announce the plan to everyone. I believe it’s the same one you discussed before however, we’ve upped the number of fighters who will be accompanying you.”

I nodded, soaking in the information.

“And we’ve… indicated that I shall be on one of the ships too,” he continued.

“What?” I cried. “You won’t though, right?”

“I will.”

“Why?” I demanded.

It was too risky. Harvey would love to kill him.

“It makes the situation more tempting to Harvey. He’ll pay less attention to what’s happening with the handover and more to what’s happening in the skies, giving you a greater chance of success.”

I shook my head vehemently.

“It’s too dangerous!”

“Aries,” he said softly. “It’s the only way this will work. I’ll be on the ship with Fornax and your crew as the secondary.”

It was to help keep them under control if it went badly. They’d listen to him no matter what.

I took a deep breath to quash my panic. It seemed dangerous to have so many wanted people on one ship but I knew that they had to have a plan.

“Do you have any questions about it?” Andy asked.

I shook my head.

“I’m sorry for not telling you before,” I said, looking down. “I knew you wouldn’t like it but I need to get her back.”

He put a hand on my shoulder.

“I still don’t like it but I understand,” he said with a smile. “Are you ready to go back out there?”

I nodded and followed Andy back out of the room.

All good? Cas asked, slipping his hand into mine as soon as I sat down.

Yeah, I think Andy just wanted to make sure that I was okay with everything, I thought.

Cas squeezed my hand.

I know you’re probably going to say no but I just want to offer one more time. I’ll go instead? he thought.

I smiled gently at him.

No.

Luckily, he didn’t have a chance to reply as the room fell silent and all eyes turned to Aquila.

“Councillor Harvey has accepted our offer.”