Rooks aimed for Fauchard’s main stair column. It spiraled up and rose high, and she wasn’t even on the lowest deck. She strode quick. She needed to get upstairs and near to the bridge, to her designated war-room.

She wanted to arrive first, ahead of the Scaldin navy. They’d brought a fleet of twenty ships, some bigger than Fauchard, but they gave her the honor of hosting their conference. Most would not come in person, just in case the Volanter returned, but a few would meet her face to face.

“Wren!”

Rooks stopped on the stairs and startled to see Alban approach from below. “Excuse me?”

“Wren. That is your name, right? Your first name. I caught it on that letter you sent. I thought your first name was Rooks.” Alban spread his hands. “Aren’t we on a first name basis?”

Rooks gave him a hard stare, but she smiled along with it. “What made you think that?”

“Scaldin use first names, even navy officers. As soon as we’ve been introduced, we switch to first names. Everyone just calls me Alban, including you.” Alban drifted into step beside Rooks. “So, why am I stuck with Rooks?”

She tried to retreat up the steps, but he paced her.

“How did you find your way here alone? I thought Castles would escort your entire group.” Rooks trotted to the top of the stairs. She cleared the landing and turned down a hall. Her meeting room was not far.

“Your Girandolan ships are very easy to navigate. I can’t help but find my way around as if I’ve lived here my whole life.”

Rooks hated that she smiled at that. She was relieved he didn’t see as she kept her position just ahead of him. “I’m glad you’re so comfortable navigating my ship. Using my first name.” Rooks stopped at the meeting room door.

Alban joined her, just a moment later. “After you.”

The meeting started, and Rooks briefed the Scaldin navy on the first battle. The meeting ended with a tentative battle plan. Or, so Rooks thought.

She opened her mouth to adjourn.

Alban shifted in his seat and spoke before she could. “We can still have Pan question that Volanter ghost. We kept the body.”

Rooks frowned. “That didn’t go very well, and as I recall, he was staunchly on the side of the Volanter.”

Alban shrugged. “We can try one more time. Maybe, in return for letting his body go.”

Rooks felt sick. Keeping the body in storage felt just as wrong as the Volanter and their contracts.

An older Scaldin officer shot Alban a look of pride. “We should have Pan question that Volanter. This time she should get information on the clans and their brands of circle; we could adapt quickly to each new strategy.” His name was Ivo, and he seemed to favor Alban.

Alban nodded. “I brought the body over to the Fauchard. Castles said I had to leave it in the bay, until you okayed it.” Alban’s eyes flicked to Rooks.

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m grateful for her foresight. We’re not in the habit of treating this ship like a morgue.” Rooks sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “If the body’s already on the ship, we might as well try it. Do you need to call Pan?”

“I already brought her. Left her in the bay too. She’s supervising the body. The ghost is a little angry, and sometimes, it acts up, even to the non-arcane eye. Nothing serious. Just some flickering lights.” Alban shrugged.

“Alright. Meeting adjourned,” Rooks said. “We’ll reconvene after we get some clan information. Should I be concerned about my ship’s safety if that ghost gets loose?”

Alban gave her a short nod. “A little.”

Rooks sighed again.

Eva stalked out of her little shuttle, newly built from recycled materials. Sten found all the parts in a discarded train. The engine had hemmed and hawed about its crash at the hands of another engine. Eva found it hard to believe. The crash had to be the fault of both engines. She’d long since noted the trains – who were not Loopy, Zigzag, and Sleepy – had temperaments no train master would ever tolerate. Still, they were her people.

Her people gave her the position of Lurrien leader, and that position gave her the freedom to board Fauchard as she did now.

Eva glared at the strong lights. Her eyes adjusted fast, but there was still such a large difference between lighting on her Lurrien shuttle and the Fauchard. As far as Eva was concerned, Girandolan vessels wasted too much power on light.

Eva blinked. She stepped over the yellow lines that designated her parking space. Then, she stopped and sent her gaze over the bay.

It was a great, metal cavern, with a high ceiling, big enough to accommodate tall ships. Except for the tools, pipes, and machines bolted to each wall, the bay seemed empty. It contained its four shuttles and a handful of other ships. None of which needed even a third of the bay’s height.

Three of those vessels interested Eva. Little more than shuttles, Eva recognized them by their Dipinta trees, painted on their flanks. Each rested in its own parking space, designated by yellow lines. Beside one of the shuttles, leaning against a sealed medical bed, stood Pan.

Eva stared. What business did Pan have in the parking section? Why hadn’t she gone on to the meeting?

It didn’t matter. It added a wrinkle to Eva’s plan, but the more Eva thought about it, the more she preferred to speak in the cavernous bay than in Fauchard’s quiet halls.

Eva strode from her parking space and entered Pan’s.

Pan pushed away from the bed and stood straight. “How are you?”

“Hello.” Eva drew a little closer. She nodded at the person-sized capsule. “What’s inside the bed?”

Pan smiled and half-laughed. She tapped her fingers on the bed’s black glass. “That’s not a bed. It’s a coffin. We have our Volanter informant inside – on ice.”

Eva felt her eyes widen a little. “You still have the body?”

Pan crossed her arms. “Unfortunately. They want me to question it, and it’s going to be so mad.”

Eva felt glad she didn’t have to take part. She took some tentative steps away from the bed and tried to draw Pan further.

Pan didn’t follow. “If you’re trying to make the war meeting…”

Eva stopped just outside the parking lines. She beckoned. “I’m not here to attend the meeting. I’m here to see you.”

Pan stiffened.

Eva knew that this conversation would come across as a bit underhanded. Hers was the only government that had access to a shuttle and space transport whenever it liked. Groaza, Tagtrum, Ponk, and all the other governments had to get transport from Rooks’ fleet. Eva considered that they may accuse her of some crime, but what exactly?

Eva spoke low, “I know you can do what we need to win. I know you can be ruthless. I also know that you enjoy toying with your enemies. I’m here to make it perfectly clear that now is not the time for it.”

Pan scowled. “I know.” She stood within the lines and did not approach Eva, but she clenched her fists. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to make a mess of your perfect defense.”

“Good.” Eva looked back and forth. She saw others in the bay, but only far off. “If you have any more brilliant ideas, like destroying the time bubble, I want to hear them. Please don’t keep them quiet.”

Pan huffed out a sharp breath. “If I hadn’t suggested that, they might never have chased us. Because we wouldn’t have returned home.”

“I doubt that,” Eva said. She didn’t feel ready to tell Pan what she really came for.

“Is that all? You came to scold me preemptively?” Pan started to round the coffin, putting it between her and Eva.

Eva had no choice. She stepped back into the parking lines and closer to the coffin. Cool air seemed to waft from its surface. Eva shot it a glance. Then, she looked at Pan and found the Scaldin girl, waiting, practically draped over the coffin.

Pan propped her chin on her hands and stared. “Well?”

Eva stepped closer. She stood inches from the black glass. She lowered her voice, “I need you to do a favor for me. When you go aboard one of the Volanter ships, see if you can get something. Something that isn’t likely to survive a crash or get into the hands of other Iruedians. Maybe a computer, but anything will do.”

Pan stiffened and straightened. “Why?”

“I need some technology that my people can study before the other nations do. Better yet, we need something that they never discover. I think you can get that – if you make a trip to an enemy vessel.”

Pan looked left, then right. She opened her mouth; nothing came out. She raised a single finger and tried to speak again. This time, she said, “That is probably impossible – to find something that no one else has. Why does it matter so much anyway?”

Eva glared. “It’s not impossible, and it’s important because Lurren needs to maintain its technological lead. We’re a small country, with little to offer Iruedim. I’d rather not take a backseat to places like Ponk, Tagtrum, and Groaza – not to mention others.”

“That’s…” Pan kind of smiled. “That’s so bad of you. Not at all upstanding.”

Eva shook her head. “You don’t understand. “The other countries make decisions slow. If they take full control, we’ll lose all opportunity for swift action.

Pan shook her head. “Not with Rooks in your skies. If you think Iruedim is slow, you should come visit Scaldigir. It might put things in perspective. And, Scaldigir isn’t even that slow…some Liti would probably be disgusted with both of us.”

“All I want is some Volanter technology. Most of Iruedim’s people will focus on the magic. Our space navy will display interest in the technology, but they’ll have less resources to devote to its study. Can you get me something or not?” Eva crossed her arms.

Pan held up a hand. “Alright. I’ll see what I can get. But, wouldn’t it be funny if I brought you back an awesome computer, and something that Lurren already had turned out to be the next big tech?” Pan smiled. “That would be a lesson for you. That what you were looking for was there all along.”

Eva frowned. “You have a point, but I’m not going to shut down any research opportunities while I draw power.”

“No, in fact, you will seek them out.” Pan’s eyes shifted over the bay. “What should I say about our conversation? We aren’t exactly alone here.”

Eva turned. Over her shoulder, she said, “Tell them I came for the meeting and arrived too late. By the way, if you find something I like, there will be a reward.”

Pan’s eyes widened. “Well, I’m already impressed with your technology, so I’ll do my best.”

Eva faced her shuttle and strode back to its side. She didn’t know if Pan could get anything, but it was worth a try. Nothing that Rooks caught made its way to Eva or Lurren. Everything that didn’t stay aboard military vessels got sent to the AAH, and already, that worried Eva. She knew that the other government leaders prevented Lurren’s involvement.

She could go to Camellia and Florian, but they wouldn’t break the rules and pass her some underhanded information. Instead, they published most of their findings for the public. Eva just needed one or two secrets to hold back. Already, she and Sten shared things from Lurren that she wished she hadn’t.

Pan watched Eva leave, almost unable to believe the request.

First, Eva wanted Pan to be ruthless. That was bad enough. Pan would have to put thoughts of gold aside. She hated to admit it, but if she flew on her dragon, she might find something to bring back to Eva. Pan also itched to ride her dragon, no matter how bad it would be for her to show off her prowess.

“I won’t be able to avoid it anyway.” Pan leaned on the coffin and folded her hands over the dark glass. “If I ride, will I ever be able to convince the elders that I’m best left on a planet again?”

The elders would probably keep her aboard ship, and the only way off would be…probably Sotir’s doing. She missed Scaldigir more than she knew she would.

“I’ve been bribed, and I accepted,” Pan told the body. She glanced around the bay.

No one looked in her direction.

Was it too late to tell Eva no?

The shuttle sped out, passing a barrier against vacuum. Pan didn’t know the com number for Eva. She exhaled. She’d screwed up. She would have to wait a while longer to reach her golden goal.

Speaking of gold…

Pan pulled a com from her pocket. She typed – Aria, how are you?

Pan waited and stared at the screen. She waited and waited and held her breath.

I’m fine. This is the third time you’ve checked up on me in an hour, Aria replied, speaking into her com a ship away.

Pan let out her breath. I’m just making sure that Gavain hasn’t gotten mad at your or whatever. Has Sotir questioned you yet?

No, and if Gavain gets mad, I don’t know if I particularly care.

Pan thought that could be both a good and bad sign. On one hand, an Aria who didn’t care could stand up to Gavain if he got angry – though Pan doubted he would. On the other hand, people who didn’t care were prepping themselves to be ghosts.

Footsteps and familiar voices entered the bay. Pan glanced up to see Alban and Rooks on their way.

She tapped a new message into her com. Can you make meat pie for dinner? It would take a while and keep Aria busy. Invite Sotir. We’ll all eat.

I can make that.

Pan smiled. Thanks. See you soon. She stowed the com. “Ready to be haunted?”

Alban and Rooks exchanged a glance.