“There has been a slight change of plans; Lace will no longer be on your ship, Aries. They will be commanding the single person fighters now. Instead, Elliot will take their place,” Aquila informed me.

I glanced between Aquila and Elliot as panic started to rise in me.

“Are you sure?” I said.

It felt too dangerous. I didn’t want both Andy and Elliot to be at risk.

“Quite sure,” Elliot replied smoothly.

I nodded uncertainly.

“Wonderful,” Aquila continued, activating the holodisplay which rose out of the table in front of us. “The single person fighters will work in teams of two, known as Team A, B, C and D. Lep will be piloting the first warship which will take the lead, accompanied by Team A, followed by three of the smaller battleships. Aries’s ship will then follow, accompanied by Team B and two more of the smaller battleships. Then, we’ll have Fornax and Andy’s warship with the rest of Crew Seven Six One and four of the smaller battleships and finally, there will be Hyd’s warship and Tia’s with all but two of the smaller battleships and single person fighters.”

I stared at the holo in front of us. There were so many ships and so many fighters going. It was overwhelming and yet a little reassuring. More fighters were going to this exchange than the number of fighters that went to Nova. I guess Aquila underestimated the Council last time and didn’t want to risk it again.

“The Council have requested that the handover takes place on Romikhi-Eight which, in case some of you aren’t aware, is a small planet at the edge of the Nova district with a breathable atmosphere,” Aquila explained.

I assumed it was for the benefit of my crew because I could see Gem’s eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.

“Isn’t that the planet the Council bombed like thirty years ago?” she asked.

“Yes. It is currently uninhabitable but suitable for short term exposure which is necessary because they have requested that Aries goes without her helmet and with her hair pulled back so that they can determine if she is wearing a disruptor or not,” Aquila seemed a little annoyed by that.

That would have been a good plan. They could have sent someone else in your place, Gem pointed out.

I nodded in agreement.

“Luckily, Romikhi-Eight is close to several warp gates. The two remaining small battleships will go on ahead and make sure that there are no IA or Guardian ships waiting on either side of the gates. The current plan is that Aries’ ship will be accompanied onto Romikhi-Eight by a single battleship. Two single person fighters will wait just outside orbit, as will Fornax and Andy’s ship. The rest of the ships will wait outside gates ninety-seven and fifty-one. Does everyone understand?” Aquila looked around at the many people jammed into the war room.

Every member of the mission was standing in the room, staring at the display in the centre of the table. Their faces were determined which gave me some hope.

Tuc’s eyes found mine from across the room and he winked, shooting me a boyish grin. I found myself smiling back at him subconsciously.

“Does anyone have any questions?” Aquila asked but the room was silent. “Alright, if any do arise, speak to Fornax, Trolis or Lace. Everyone not setting foot on Romikhi-Eight may now leave.”

Mutters whirled through the room as most of the crowd started towards the door.

We can stay, right? Cas asked, a hint of desperation edging into his voice.

Yeah, probably, I sent back.

I wasn’t sure but I assumed Aquila would be alright with it.

I waited anxiously, my foot bobbing under the table, as the final few people drifted out and silence engulfed the room.

“Tuc, Drac, please take a seat,” Aquila requested.

She waited as they climbed into the recently vacated seats before waving her hand at the holodisplay which changed into an image of Romikhi-Eight.

I stared at the barren world, my heart thumping uncomfortably. Soon, on that planet, I’ll probably see Peggy again. Face to face. I couldn’t wait but at the same time, I was scared. It was my fault she’d been taken, I should have been quicker and smarter. I needed to get her back.

“Wonderful. Once Trolis and Tuc land the ship on Romikhi-Eight, the Guardians will request communication. The Councillor has requested that just two fighters escort Aries onto the planet for the handover. They have also requested that she be handcuffed,” Aquila explained.

“What?” Cas said, a look of outrage on his face. “Aries isn’t a criminal, she shouldn’t be handcuffed. She won’t be able to defend herself if she is!”

I slipped my hand under the table and squeezed Cas’ leg gently. He laced his fingers through mine and clung on tightly.

“That is essentially what I said too. I have said that the Guardians will be able to handcuff her during the handover though,” she paused, holding her hand up as Cas and Gem prepared to object again. “I understand you are unhappy with it but, not only is it unavoidable, it is also a trap. Elliot, please explain.”

I cocked my head at him, intrigued.

“Built into the fingertips of your new suit, are tasers.” He grinned at me and tapped the table to bring up the schematics of my suit. “The prongs should be strong and long enough to able to penetrate the Guardians armour so if you wrap your hands around their wrists and activate them, you’ll stun the Guardian right into unconsciousness.”

His smile and confidence were contagious. I found my anxiety lessening slightly as I looked at the suit.

“How do I activate them?” I asked, leaning forwards to examine the gloves.

He tapped the table again to zoom in on the hands.

“Tap the pad of your thumb against the base of your little finger, then you’ll have two seconds before they’ll fire so you need to act quickly. They will also disconnect from your suit once they’ve fired so there shouldn’t be any issues,” he explained.

I nodded, scrutinising the extremely ordinary looking suit.

“And is there any chance they will fire accidentally?” I asked.

“It’s very slim. There is a sensor in the thumb and at the little finger so it should be alright. Plus, Chal is going to have a tinker with your eye mods after this meeting so that they receive data from the suit and you should get a count down.”

I glanced at Chal who inclined his head slightly.

“What about the knives?” I asked, looking back at Elliot.

“The push daggers can be activated by holding the tip of your thumb against the tip of your middle finger for two seconds,” he explained, tapping the table once and causing an animation of the move to appear. “You’ve also got a longer blade concealed in the suit along the back of your right leg, a modified dart phaser hidden in the stomach area, a mini pistol near the left hip and a small blade in each boot.”

I sucked in a deep breath. I was worried about whether or not the Guardians would be able to detect so many weapons but I tried to push that thought aside. I needed to trust Elliot. I needed to trust all of the fighters, it was our only way to get Peggy back.

I needed this mission to work.