What she wanted.

Bee slid the tight-fitting nullsuit helmet over her head, the scent of old dust filling her nostrils. If she had what she wanted she'd never have been involved in any of it. Had it been her choice she'd be living a happy life on Surface. Whatever that meant. Revenge was all she knew. The only time resembling peace she could remember was the Midtown. Hargrove.

Starhawk had butchered that fond memory.

"Am I good?" she asked the Captain.

He gave her armor a rapid once over and patted her twice on the back before sealing his own helmet to his suit, the plain black nullsteel gleaming with hints of purple. Aside from his suit being a few sizes larger, the only difference between them seemed to be the stripes of color across their joints-white for him and golden yellow for her.

"Just let Myra show you what to do," Anson said. "When it comes to real combat a human brain can't do what an AI can. She'll give you an edge. Let her take over and you've got a better chance-we'll all be doing the same if it comes to it. Follow me."

With no room for argument, Bee followed the veteran privateer back to the bridge.

"We're a bunch of damn fools," said Anson, seething with anger as he ranted over the common channel. "They weren't burying his stockpile, they were building a network of these things. And we didn't even know! Flew out here thinking I'd be able to retire and instead we plow straight into a cosmic shitstorm."

"Can we take him?"

The Captain forced a sharp laugh. "Why do you think we're maintaining course?"

A thrill of excitement shot through her. After so much time spent waiting, her moment would finally come. She hoped he'd survive whatever kind of damage Wanderlust could inflict on his ship, that he'd be alive there inside-wounded, drifting, helpless. She'd start with his face.

"He's been quiet," Myra said to them. "Before he couldn't wait to blab on about himself, but so far nothing."

"No theatrics out here," Anson said. "He's come for blood."

"He'll be swimming in it. Truly's launching the Hornets and we're three minutes from firing range."

The Captain entered the bridge, Bee close on his heels. Silver and Ferro tended the projected map in the center of the room, where their little scrap of the asteroid belt was etched in three dimensions. The gap between Wanderlust and the flashing enemy ship shrank with each moment.

"Hornets away," Truly said. Wanderlust spawned a cluster of smaller ships on the display.

Captain Anson watched the map. "We move in slow. Myra, be ready to make a break. I want to draw him as far from that gate as we can-could be a trap waiting on the other side."

Bee flexed armored fists, eager to contribute. "What can I do?"

"I told you," said Anson. "We hold the bridge. If it comes to that."

"But I don't have a gun."

"That's because I haven't given you one yet. Not that I expect you'll get the chance to use it."

"What about after we win? Do we board his ship?"

"If there's anything left of it," Silver sniffed.

Her persistence drew a glare from the Captain. She couldn't see his expression through the helmet's reflective visor, but she got the message and took a step back, silenced. Mother's words danced on the tip of her tongue. He had to live. She hadn't come all the way from Surface to have him die before she was ready to let him. No, he needed to live long enough to suffer. Long enough to please Mother. Bee didn't see any way to make that happen, just felt the blind urge and hoped she'd get the opportunity.

"Gate just lit up again," Myra warned. "Incoming fighter craft! He's got carriers on the other side!"

Dozens of tiny flashing blips swarmed from the asteroid.

"Reverse course!" Anson ordered. "Truly, stick with us and we'll draw them out. Trap's sprung, now we whittle them down."

Bee watched the projection of Wanderlust whip around impossibly fast at the Captain's command and speed away from the approaching ships, the squadron of seven Hornets following in its wake. Bee wasn't sure if she actually felt the ship lurch as it spun or if she only imagined it, but her stomach twisted in unhappy knots.

"He's got the edge now," Myra said. "We've got to keep distance from the gate or they could just keep throwing fighters at us. We play it safe, chip away with the Hornets. Once we're far enough out we can make a move for the flagship, but we can't engage yet."

The map in front of the crew expanded to display as much detail as possible, enlarging to many times its original size. Wanderlust and its squadron of Hornet fighters led the pursuers by hundreds of miles, but Bee knew within seconds they could close that distance. After so long, there he was. Just moments away.

"You're trembling," whispered Myra on their private channel.

"I'm close," Bee said to her. "Almost there."

"I know. I've seen it. I'm going to help you. Are you ready?"

"Yes." The word came sharp and sure, no hesitation-steel, like the Captain said.

"Ready to be a traitor?"

Bee cocked her head. "What?"

A yellow waypoint arrow appeared at the far right edge of her HUD, indicating she had to turn to see it. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the outline of Wanderlust's transport shuttle through the walls.

"If you want to get Starhawk yourself that's how you're going to have to do it. Victor's going to send you to the armory in a minute but instead you'll go to the shuttle."

"What are you doing?"

"Victor's not going to let you out of his reach unless you force his hand," said Myra. "Starhawk dies today, there's no doubt of that-the only question is how. If you want things your way you need to make some sacrifices. Like Victor's trust."

"Why the shuttle? It's not armed, is it?"

"No, it's pretty defenseless."

"So why-"

The Captain's voice cut in on the common channel. "Bee, meet Spud in the armory," he said. "He'll get you what you need. You're my last line of defense if any of these bastards get on board, so move it."

"Okay-yes, sir," said Bee, hesitant. For a second she froze, sure the Captain would somehow know she'd been conspiring with Myra.

"Go on, I said move."

She left the bridge and stopped just outside, the outline of the shuttle still gleaming at the other end of the ship. One of Myra's waypoints popped up in the hallway to her right, urging her toward the shuttle. She knew the armory was the other way.

Myra said privately to her, "Spud's not in the armory anyway. He's waiting for you on the shuttle. We're forming our own little boarding party."

"What about the crew? Captain said he needed me here."

"He just wants to keep you safe. Do you want this or not, Buttercup? Time's ticking."

"Why would you do this?" Bee demanded.

"Because he's got it coming."

Reluctant to betray the Captain but exhilarated at the idea of finally coming face to face with Starhawk, Buttercup felt suddenly as though the entire suit was nudging her toward the waypoint. Like it wanted to go that way, like it was alive and she'd taken over its body but it remained in spirit. Again the suit made its wishes known, tiny pushing sensations all over, as though a hundred small hands prodded her forward. She'd felt the same thing during training with Truly.

"Stop it, Myra," Bee said.

"It's not me, it's my clone. That's how she's gonna talk to you, so you better learn to listen. Now move it. You don't have long, their fighters are closing the gap. We'll lose our window-"

Bee made an unhappy growl as she gave in to the armor and headed for the docking bay. Spud was there just like Myra said, pacing near the shuttle's open airlock in full suit. Bee waved for him to get inside the craft as she approached but the gargantuan wrung his hands, looking oddly childlike, and glanced at the shuttle.

Spud joined their private channel and asked, "Going in there?"

"It's alright, Spud," Myra crooned, her hardlight projection appearing with a shimmer to take him by the elbow. "Just for a little ride. There are some bad men after us right now, Spud, and we need your help to take care of them. Are you ready?"

The armored giant straightened to his full height and puffed out his chest. "Always ready."

With some gentle encouragement from Myra and Bee they got him on board along with the overstuffed bags of weaponry he'd brought from the armory. The bags must have been made with a nullsteel weave like her old suit because they hardly weighed a thing. Either that or the armor gave her more strength than she expected. Once inside Bee dropped the bags and Spud shut the airlock behind her. She headed to the cockpit. From its main displays Bee saw the docking bay's outer door crack open and the shuttle plotted a flightpath to the enemy warship.

"How exactly is this going to work?" Bee asked as the shuttle rose off the deck. Myra must have been piloting.

"Well, first off we'll need a couple of Truly's Hornets to protect us," said Myra. The Hornets' outlines illuminated on Bee's HUD. "Here goes."

The docking bay faced the rear of Wanderlust, giving Bee a clear view of the marked enemy fleet off in the distance. Starhawk's pack of fighter craft streaked ahead of his flagship Deep Fog, growing closer every second. The seven Hornets flitted around in defensive positions at Wanderlust's flank. Bee wondered which one Truly was piloting. The rest had to be under Myra's control.

"You'll want to get to the rear of the ship with Spud," Myra said. "Our landing will be... a bit rough."

Bee hurried to the spot Myra indicated on her HUD and found Spud crouched with his back against the wall. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down next to him. "This is insane," she realized.

"No, my dear. This is cold, hard calculation."

"No, you're gonna crash us into his ship. That's insane."

"It's the only way," Myra assured her, and brought Truly into their channel. "Truly, heads up. Got a javelin needs an escort here."

"Javelin? What?" Truly said, confused. "We aren't cleared to engage yet. Negative, Myra, stand down. I need every one of these to keep the fighters away."

"You'll make do."

Two of the roving Hornet fighters broke away from the rest and sped toward the shuttle as it exited the docking bay.

"Myra, no!" Truly shouted. "Captain, she's rogue. Do you copy? Captain!"

"Sorry, Truly. I hate to come between you two, but he'll understand. Just stick to the plan, I'm only borrowing them. You draw the fighters out, give us an opening. I'm already inside Deep Fog's systems-we've got 'em by the balls, they just don't know it yet. I can disarm their defenses for maybe twenty seconds before they shut me out."

"Myra, you conniving-"

"Best get moving, Truly."

She dropped him from the channel as he unloaded a barrage of filthy insults. Crouched next to Spud in the shuttle, Bee felt very much afraid of Myra then. She wondered if the Captain had figured out what they were doing. Surely he'd see the Hornets out of position-unless Myra deceived him on the bridge, presented false readings. She had absolute power over Wanderlust, it seemed, with or without the Captain's permission. He might not even know anything was amiss.

#

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