When Angela returned to the rec room on the Falcon 8, the ship once again docked on a platform at the space base, she walked in with the green-haired Ensign Bystrom escorting her. He didn’t come inside, but from the way he shifted to the side of the door before it closed, it looked like he would be standing guard outside once again.

“Prisoners again,” Angela murmured bleakly.

The captain hadn’t appeared happy when he’d admitted how his meeting had gone, but that didn’t really change anything for Angela and the others. Just because the Star Guardians were reluctant prison guards didn’t mean they wouldn’t do the job.

She wiped away the tears that had been threatening ever since Sagitta’s words confirmed what she’d suspected. She kept thinking of her parents and her sisters and the farm back home. When she’d gone to college in Flagstaff, she’d been ecstatic to leave what she’d often considered a stifling, boring life behind. But now, at the thought of never being able to return, she realized how much she would miss everything and everyone. She would happily pick a hundred rows of lavender right now if it meant she could hug her parents and have ice tea and Oreos with her sisters. That had been a regular ritual when they’d all still lived at home. Maybe that was the reason she missed Oreos over all the other foods that this strange place lacked.

“Angela,” Juanita called from the sleeping area.

A dozen cots had been pulled together in a circle, and almost all of the women were seated around Juanita, Indigo, and Katie. Tala seemed to be missing, but Angela wouldn’t be surprised if she had been pressed into sickbay duty to treat poor Treyjon again. He kept taking a beating while protecting her. And he kept trying to take the blame for tragedies that she caused.

A hot tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek as she imagined him being punished for the ambassador’s death. What would his people do to him? Throw him in jail? Hang him? She had no idea what the judicial system was like here, but she couldn’t imagine that anyone would simply forget that an ambassador from an enemy race had been killed. What if this ended up starting some war?

“Come join us,” Juanita called again. “We’re planning our escape.”

Her eyes gleamed as if that were something that would be fun and adventure-filled, like a ski trip to the Alps.

“Are you supposed to announce that so loudly?” Angela wiped her eyes as she walked over to the cots and sat next to Katie, who leaned forward, eyes intent.

Maybe Katie thought she could fly a spaceship home if they got ahold of one. Was flying a spaceship a lot different from flying an airplane?

Angela wondered how everyone here had learned about the results of the captain’s meeting. Not that the possibility hadn’t been hinted at before. Early on, Sagitta had said he couldn’t promise they’d be taken home because he had to obey his orders and go with what his government decreed.

“I think the Star Guardians are busy dealing with all the trouble you and Treyjon created,” Juanita said. “You should fill us in on that by the way. Orion is our only spy, and he’s not a Star Guardian, so he doesn’t get all of the gossip. Just some of it.”

“Do big, hulking soldiers with tattoos and giant bow guns really gossip?” Angela asked.

“Of course they do,” Juanita said. “And they’re really more like law enforcers, from what I hear.”

“Ah, no wonder then.”

“I’ve known lots of big, hulking men who gossip,” Katie said. “The guys I go off-roading with can’t stop talking about each other’s gym habits, their girlfriends, and who’s a cheap bastard.”

“Why do you hang out with them?” Indigo asked.

“Because they know all the kickass Jeep trails and have spent way more to build their rigs than I ever will.”

“Did that answer my question?” Indigo asked Juanita, who shrugged back.

“You’re such a city girl,” Katie said.

“Here’s the plan so far.” Juanita leaned forward, clasping her hands in front of her. “Orion has a ship of his own for bounty hunting. It’s not huge, but he thinks we can all fit on it if we don’t mind squeezing and if it’s not a long trip. The problem is that the government people here ordered Captain Sagitta to keep us on this ship until they’re ready to transfer us off to who knows where. And it sounds like that could be as early as tomorrow. Sneaking out of here is going to be hard.” Juanita nodded toward the door. They couldn’t see the ensign, but there was little doubt he stood on the other side. “Also, Orion’s ship is halfway across the galaxy in some system called… Lupi Something-or-other. So we basically have to sneak aboard a passenger ship heading in that direction, and that might be tough with, uhm, how many of us are there?”

“Forty-three,” Indigo said. “Would you like me to run the odds of us sneaking forty-three people off this ship and aboard another one without anything resembling money? Not to mention the difficulties we would face once we boarded his ship?”

“Would it be soul-crushing?” Juanita asked.

“I think so.”

“Then no.”

“Wouldn’t Orion be labeled a criminal if he smuggled us away from the Star Guardians?” Angela asked.

“Yes, but he’s okay with that,” Juanita said.

Angela arched her eyebrows.

“Because they’re in love,” Katie explained, “and he would do anything for her.”

“I don’t want him to become a criminal,” Juanita said. “And I don’t even want to go home permanently, but I know everyone here wants to get home, and I need to at least check in with my parents before I go somewhere else. I told him he could hide out on Earth and live with me until his people stop looking for him. And then we can take his ship and go off and have adventures.” There was that gleam in her eyes again.

“Live with you?” Angela asked. “You already have three roommates.”

“Yes, but I have a plan about how Orion can make a living on Earth, so we can get a house by ourselves until it’s time to leave.”

“Saying he’s going to get a reality TV show of his own as a bounty hunter isn’t really a plan,” Indigo told her.

“I’m sure we can make it happen. Just look at him. He’s so much sexier than that Dog guy who had his own show.”

Angela rubbed her face. This scheme sounded harebrained and impossible. It would also involve her leaving the first man she’d met who approved of her ambitions to be a professional dog trainer. Or svenkar trainer, as the case would be. She wanted to go home, too, but a knot formed in her throat at the idea of never seeing Treyjon again. She’d barely met him, but… she didn’t want to give him up before she could know him more. Much more.

The rec room door slid open with a soft hiss, and Angela flinched when Captain Sagitta walked in. Orion came behind him, a concerned expression on his face. It might not have been a good idea for Juanita to have spoken so openly.

Tala walked in third, and Angela wanted to pounce on her for information about Treyjon, but she had a feeling the captain was going to speak first.

The women shared uneasy glances with each other. Juanita met Orion’s eyes across the room, and he shook his head slightly. What did that mean? The jig was up?

“Good,” Sagitta said, stopping at the edge of the cots. “You’re all here.”

Tala sat down at the outer edge of the circle and frowned at the two men. Angela had a feeling she had come down on her own rather than with them. She didn’t look like she had any more clue about what was going on than Angela did.

“As you already know, I’ve spoken to my government representatives and argued that you be taken home, and that if they object to that, they should at least put it to a vote among the citizens. This isn’t a tyranny. It’s not supposed to be.” His jaw clenched.

His logostec beeped before he could explain further.

Frowning, he tapped a button and read something on the display that came up. He tilted it so only he could read it.

“Huh.”

“I hope that’s a pizza delivery notification,” someone mumbled. “Do they have that here?”

“Pizza has to be universal,” someone else said.

“This is about you,” Sagitta said, turning to Orion.

“Oh?” Orion asked warily, and he glanced at Juanita.

Had the captain learned about his plan to sneak the women away aboard his ship?

Sagitta tapped his logostec. “Sending it to you.”

Orion received a beep of his own and read the message. “I… don’t understand.”

“It’s not in Zi’i,” Sagitta said, some of his habitual dryness returning for the first time.

“But I haven’t done anything.” Orion frowned at Sagitta. “Did you say something about me?”

“I reported the details of what happened on our mission to Headquarters, the same as I always do. Someone must have thought well of your initiative in ferreting out a plan to kidnap women, and then in volunteering to infiltrate the slaver ship.”

“But we’re not even letting them go home. How much could Headquarters care about them? And what I did?”

“Headquarters isn’t the one that’s decided they can’t go home.”

“What’s going on?” Juanita asked, trying to catch Orion’s eye.

“I’ve been invited to become a Star Guardian,” Orion said, sounding more puzzled than pleased. “I… don’t know what to say.”

“That’s a rarity,” Sagitta murmured.

Orion ignored him and looked into Juanita’s eyes.

“It’s what you always wanted,” she said softly, her own expression going bleak.

Angela frowned at them. Did this mean Orion would no longer consider going against his government to take them home? How could one break the law when one had just been made a law enforcer?

“It’s what I used to want,” Orion said, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced. He gazed down at the message again, a hint of wonder entering his eyes. “To do my training on your ship? Zeus’s spit, do I have to call you sir?”

“Every time you see me.” One corner of Sagitta’s mouth quirked up.

Angela thought it was the closest she’d seen of a smile from him.

“Well, I can’t do it, anyway.” Orion sighed, lowered his wrist, and lifted his chin as he met his brother’s eyes. “I’m taking them home.”

Juanita stirred. Was that supposed to have been a secret from Sagitta?

“Actually, we all are,” Sagitta said.

“What?” a dozen people asked, including Orion.

Orion’s brow furrowed deeply, and he added, “You said they ordered you to get ready to hand the women over tomorrow, that they’ll be taken for training and integration into our society here on Dethocoles.”

“That’s what they ordered, yes. I am disobeying orders.” Sagitta looked across the group, briefly meeting their eyes. “We’re taking you home.”

“You’re defying orders?” Orion looked like he would fall over at any second.

“Yes. Say as little as possible to the rest of the men. The less they know, the better. They’ll simply be taking orders from me, as usual. If they don’t know that I’m not under orders from Headquarters, the less likely they are to get into trouble later. For not reporting me.” His bleak expression returned. “This is my choice, and I’ll be responsible for the repercussions.”

Sagitta nodded toward Angela and the others, then turned and headed for the door.

Orion gaped after him. “They’re not going to let this slide just because you’re a war hero, Sage. As soon as we lift off without dropping them off, there’s going to be trouble.”

“I expect it,” Sagitta said so softly Angela almost missed it.

Tala gazed after him, her expression unreadable.

Nobody else said anything. What was there to say? They were going home.

Angela should have been ecstatic—many of the other women were starting to chatter excitedly—but a sick feeling settled in her stomach. If they were going home as criminals, or at least personae non gratae, in the eyes of the Confederation government, she wouldn’t have any access to the rest of the galaxy once the Star Guardians dropped them off and returned to their own people. She wouldn’t have any access to Treyjon. But what was the alternative? To stay here with him and never see her family again? Would that even be allowed?

“I have to talk to Treyjon,” Angela said, standing up.

She didn’t think anyone heard her—everyone was burbling about going back home, everyone except Juanita who was moving away with Orion, holding his hand. But Tala looked over at her.

“He’s in sickbay. His injuries were mostly healed when I left him. The medical technology here is amazing.” She sounded so wistful.

Maybe Angela wasn’t the only one who would regret going home.