I watched as Commander Kereama jumped up and down on her toes like an excited little child. As an ex-army medic, as she’d told me, she should have been better at hiding her excitement. Unlike his fellow boarder though, Lieutenant Commander Saitō was rock steady. In fact, I wasn’t sure if he was actually breathing right now.

I shook my head and turned my attention to the shuttle bay containment field. Aquila had used the last of our shuttles in that final battle, so we’d been unable to return Kereama to Pavo or Saitō to Corvus. We’d had to wait until their respective vessels came within a shuttle flight distance and made sure that the containment field on our main launch bay was capable of receiving them without incident.

The repair bots had been busy. Working overtime, in fact. We hadn’t yet decided what to do with the leaseholder quarters or the mayoral offices; for now, they’d been left as a non-essential. Too far down the list of tasks to cross off on my desk.

Our main focus had been on ensuring we had access to all systems and that we had the procedures and officers in place to keep them operational.

And to mourn our dead.

We’d lost over two hundred people. Eleven of those had been AU officers. The rest had been civilians and mercs. So many pay-for-passages. It was a heavy weight I felt viscerally. But Adi was right, she made sure to tell me daily, over nine hundred and eighty had lived.

I could carry that weight if I reminded myself of those who’d survived Nathan Price and his corrupted artificial intelligence.

The officers, though, had been senior staff, and replacing them had been one of the first and hardest tasks to cross my desk. I already had Andrea López as my first officer. And I’d promoted Johnson to lieutenant commander and tagged him as second officer. Then there had been engineering, which had gone through two chiefs, and neither the officer I chose to take on the title or myself had enjoyed the appointment for that simple reason.

But we would do our job. And we weren’t alone. There were two other Anderson Universal ships out there who could offer us assistance if needed. I was also told that the Chariot, which now housed Vela, had an outstanding engineering team and perhaps they could offer some oversight in due course as well.

This meeting was just with Captain Jameson of Pavo and Captain Anderson of Corvus though. I’d meet Captain Vaughan of the Chariot later. But we needed to address Anderson Universal protocols on this first auspicious occasion.

It helped that Captain Anderson had been first officer on her ship when it had set out.

It didn’t help that she was the granddaughter of Simon Anderson and therefore the owner of the entire Anderson fleet now. What was left of it.

I shifted on my feet as I watched Kereama bounce on her toes.

“Excited?” I said.

“Shut up,” she replied, grinning.

Saitō snorted. Kereama rolled her eyes at him.

The familiarity was surprising but not unwelcome. I rather hoped I’d find the same acceptance with the other captains and their officers. We needed to stick together if we planned to reach New Earth. And I needed to know the support was there if I ran into any problems.

Not that I wasn’t proud of the way we’d handled ours. In the main, anyway. But I was new to this. I wasn’t above asking for help.

Part of me wanted to share the burden, to off load some of this weight. But I wouldn’t. It was mine to bear and I would do so. But moving forward, I’d be happy to consult when able.

A shuttle appeared through the blue of the containment field. I held my breath hoping we’d fixed any glitches left us by Rogue Aquila. While I watched the shuttle grow larger, I thought of how I’d left Adi this morning. Curled up with Ratbag and a cup of coffee, about to power her datapad up for the first time and read a book.

She hadn’t read a book since Aquila went rogue. She hadn’t powered the datapad up at all. I hoped the book was good and it was soothing her soul.

The shuttle pushed through the containment field, and none of us was sucked out into the void, so that was good. It came to rest in its designated spot and powered down. The ship ticked and gas shot out as it acclimated to its new environment and then the door lowered.

A woman stepped out first. Captain Sophia Anderson. She wore her hair in a bun and carried herself well. She looked directly at Saitō, and something on her hard features softened. I heard Lieutenant Commander Saitō let out a relieved breath.

“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” the woman asked me.

I almost made a quip about Saitō not having asked so why did she bother, but held my tongue.

“Permission granted, Captain,” I said.

She walked down the ramp, and a man followed her out. This would be Captain Jameson. He swaggered. His eyes glinting with mischief when he spotted Kereama.

Who broke rank and ran hell for leather toward him, jumping up into his outstretched arms.

He laughed and spun her around and then kissed her in the most un-captain-like manner.

I cleared my throat. Captain Anderson rolled her eyes. And Saitō laughed in the quiet way he seemed to have.

Anderson and her chief science officer shared a look, then, that could quite easily have been classed as just as bad. But at least they held their positions.

“Captain Tremblay,” Anderson said, shaking my hand. “Well done.”

“I had help,” I said lamely. But some of that weight lifted, infinitesimally.

She smiled. It transformed her face; made her pretty. I could see why Saitō had moon eyes for this one, but she didn’t hold a flame to Adi.

No one could.

“Shall we?” I said, indicating the exit toward my ready room where the meeting would be held. “They look like they might be a while,” I added, nodding toward Jameson and his first officer.

“Yes,” Anderson said. “Oh, do behave!” she snapped at them. They broke apart, smiling sheepishly.

“Come on, Sophia,” Jameson said. “Tell me you didn’t want to swing Leo around in your arms, too.”

Anderson arched her brow at him and didn’t reply. I thought that was probably for the best.

Jameson bounded up, one hand firmly wrapped around Kereama’s, dragging her along with him, the other extended for me to shake.

“Tremblay,” he said. “Or can I call you Hugo?”

“Hugo is fine,” I said, liking the man immediately.

“Bloody good, mate,” he said. “Because Tremblay’s a mouthful.”

“More of a mouthful than Kereama?” Kereama asked, smiling.

“Ana, why do you think I call you babe all the time?”

“As long as he doesn’t call me that,” I said.

Jameson shot me a look and then burst out laughing.

“This,” he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, I noted he still held onto Ana with his free hand, “is the start of a good friendship. You wouldn’t happen to have any whisky onboard, would you? Not some sweetly sick liqueur, mind. None of that Williamine stuff that Vaughan always offers. But good old-fashioned, hair of the dog, top shelf.”

“Ah,” I said, flummoxed. “I might be able to dig some up.”

“Good man,” Jameson said, slapping me on the shoulder.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Sophia murmured. “Just because you’ve finally found a captain younger than yourself, doesn’t mean you can take on the role of big brother.”

Jameson made a scoffing sound. “I’m welcoming him to the ranks is all.” He winked at Ana when she let out a laugh.

I wasn’t sure what to say to any of that. Thank you? I just nodded my head and said, “Right,” and led them out of the launch bay toward my ready room.

It was Jameson’s turn to laugh.

I led them through Deck B’s halls and then up in the lift to the main deck. Here and there repair bots could be seen doing their work. Officers saluted in pristine uniforms. The ship was starting to resemble a functioning vessel at last. It was with pride that I walked the halls with these two esteemed captains at my side.

We by-passed the mayoral hub and went straight to the bridge hub, and then made our way to my ready room.

I knew the instant I opened my door that something was wrong. My heart thundered in my ears, and my palms grew sweaty, but I couldn’t say what had tipped me off.

Jameson was making some crack about how we’d have to learn how to clean our own walls now. Anderson was admonishing him while Kereama wound them all up. Saitō had stilled at my side.

Slowly something dawned on the others, and Anderson cut Saitō a sharp look and said, “What is it?”

Saitō looked at me for an answer.

I didn’t have one. But something was wrong.

I crossed to the door to our private quarters and swiped my wrist comm.

The door wouldn’t open.

“Adi!” I shouted, banging on it. “Open up!”

“Jesus,” I heard Jameson mutter. “This can’t be good.”

“Shhh,” Kereama admonished.

“Adi! Baby, come on. Open up!” I tried again.

My stomach roiled, and my chest hurt, and I was about to start digging my fingers into the gel wall to make a hole through to the other side.

And then the gel wall turned green before my eyes.

I jumped back as if I’d been bitten.

“Good afternoon, Captain,” Aquila said. “Welcome home.”

You could have heard a pin drop, until Kereama powered up a plasma rifle.