Thanks to Diggs’ jury-rigged repairs, Mako was just barely able to maneuver and dock with Peacemaker. Given the damage they’d sustained during the brief battle, they decided to take the smaller vessel in tow while the passengers and crew transferred over to the Precursor ship. They gathered at the airlock, as they exchanged nervous glances all around.

Reaching out with a steadying hand, Rúna touched the young Tinker’s shoulder. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” she pressed him.

Diggs grimaced at her words. “... I promise,” he mumbled.

She nodded in satisfaction. “I’ll hold you to that,” she smiled. “This situation is complicated enough without you squaring off against Captain Hadad. Just steer clear of him. I imagine he’ll do the same.”

“I promise, Rúna,” he vowed once more. His crush on the red-headed Valkyrie had mostly faded, but based on how quickly he’d agreed, Genvass was betting there was still a spark.

Captain Taneka was hovering near her wounded XO. “How’s he holding up?” she asked the Knight, her concern regarding his injuries unmistakable.

“His vitals are still stable, but he needs surgery,” Doc Svoboda explained. “I can do it, but not in a vacuum. As soon as we’re aboard, I’ll take him to the infirmary and get to work.”

Before she could respond, the airlock started to cycle, ending any further discussion as the group turned their attention to the hatch. Two figures stood on the other side; Remi Hadad, and Samara. They gazed at the crowd from Mako, eyeing each of them, with the captain’s expression hardening as he spotted Diggs.

Genvass stepped forward, desperate to make this first meeting go as smoothly as possible. “Captain Hadad, Samara,” he said, nodding to each in turn, “we deeply appreciate you rescuing us from the Troika. I realize we have much to discuss, but we have a wounded man who needs immediate attention.” He gestured to Karl Israfil, still unconscious and lying on a stretcher.

The Corsair glanced over at Samara. “I assume you have somebody for that?” he asked her.

“I do,” she nodded, as something shifted in her expression and body language. “Bring the patient,” she ordered, her voice now sounding far different than it had previously.

The Knight looked dubiously at the Protean before Rúna intervened. “It’ll be all right,” she told him. “It must be one of her symbiotes.”

Svoboda slowly nodded. Practically every Terran was aware of Samara’s talents, courtesy of the Precursor artifact linked with her. With a veritable host of stored personalities contained within, there were few tasks she couldn’t master. “You’re a doctor?” he asked.

“Physician 2nd Grade Rithir Merkott,” the cognate confirmed. “This vessel has a fully stocked medical bay,” he explained, “and treating your patient’s injuries should pose no difficulty.”

It was obvious the medic still had doubts, but his concern for his patient’s physical well-being superseded everything else. With a nod, he and the other stretcher bearers lifted the wounded man from the deck and carried him aboard Peacemaker, following Samara’s lead.

Genvass stepped forward, with Rúna and the others alongside, only to come to an abrupt halt as Remi held up his hand. “No weapons,” he ordered. “You can leave them here in the airlock.”

“No way in hell we’re letting you disarm us,” the Valkyrie snarled.

“And there’s no way in hell I’ll allow you the means to hijack this ship,” the pirate countered. “Don’t stand there and tell me you don’t already have a plan in the works to do just that.”

Rúna worked her jaw but said nothing. “Your silence speaks volumes,” he said knowingly. “Dump your weapons, or stay on Mako. Your choice.”

Her hand unconsciously went to her sword. “I’m not leaving the Ambassador unprotected,” she fired back. “Besides,” she drawled, “I only see one of you, and four of us. So maybe you should just step aside and drop this, Captain.” The other Valkyries tensed, readying themselves for action.

“If you want to take your chances with Peacemaker’s security safeguards, be my guest,” he smiled thinly, “though I doubt you’ll enjoy the experience.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re bluffing,” she decided, her hand twitching on the. sword’s hilt.

Genvass hurriedly stepped between them. “Please, there’s no need for this,” he pled with them both, before turning and addressing Rúna. “I appreciate your concerns, but I’m certain we’ll be safe.” He turned back to face the captain. “Will you give your oath that no harm will come to anyone aboard this ship?”

Hadad chewed on that for a moment, before giving a gruff nod. “As long as they abide by the rules, I give you my word no harm will come to them,” he agreed.

Armed with his promise, Genvass closed ranks with the Valkyrie. “He’s given his word,” he petitioned. “Please, stand down, Rúna,” he beseeched her.

She ground her teeth together so hard that he could hear it from a meter away. “I can’t. Leave you. Unprotected,” she fought to get out, her sense of duty warring with the risk of putting her people in danger.

The ambassador’s eyes darted back and forth between them, desperately searching for a compromise. “What if you allowed her to keep her sword?” he blurted out. “The other weapons would remain here, just as you requested. I’m certain that a single sword would be no match against this ship’s defenses, should it prove necessary.” He silently implored the Corsair to accept his proposal, allowing Rúna to save face. She was a proud young woman, but more importantly, she was a Marine. The word “surrender” simply wasn’t in her vocabulary.

He could see just how badly Remi wanted to dismiss the notion out of hand, but in the end, he was also a pragmatist. If he dug in his heels, it was likely that Rúna would do the same, sending them both on a collision course that could only end in blood.

“Fine,” he said at last, “but it damn well better stay sheathed.”

Genvass could tell that even allowing that much cost him, but it was the right decision. Now he just had to sell it to Rúna. “We can’t stay aboard Mako,” he reminded her, “and though I know it cuts against the grain for you, will you accept this arrangement? I’m certain it’s only temporary. I doubt we’ll be here for long.”

She glared at Remi, incensed he’d put her in this position. Thankfully, she was also a pragmatist, all too aware this was the best deal she was likely to get. Genvass held his breath as she weighed her options, before finally giving her team a nod. He sighed in relief as they began clearing and stacking their weapons, collecting quite a pile of hardware before they were done. Once they’d finished disarming themselves under Captain Hadad’s watchful gaze, they moved to join their commander, until Rúna held up her hand and brought her sergeant to a halt.

“Becca… your hideout piece,” she said calmly.

The sergeant’s eyes flashed with something unreadable before slowly removing a concealed pistol from the small of her back. Locking and clearing the sidearm almost as an afterthought, she added it to the pile before giving Rúna a questioning look. A curt nod was her only reply before moving to join the others. Turning back to face the Corsair, she placed her hands on her hips. “Satisfied?” she sneered.

“Completely,” he answered, far more affably than recent events might suggest.

“Go find Doc,” she ordered her team, “and bring him up to speed. I expect I’m going to be busy here for a while.”

“Aye aye, ma’am,” Becca acknowledged as the marines exited the compartment.

“There’s one more passenger,” Genvass informed Remi, “Ess Peon. She’s an Avatar. I hope that won’t be a problem?”

“Considering that even Samara’s friends found it all but impossible to hack into Peacemaker’s systems, I’m not worried,” he answered. “Speaking of which, I imagine they’ll be joining us shortly, once they finish treating your patient.” Jerking his head towards the entrance, Remi prompted them both to follow him aboard. “I believe we’re past due for a conversation,” he said cryptically, leading them into the bowels of the ship, before finally reaching an almost invisible hatchway. The door silently slid open as he stepped inside.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” he told them, before pouring himself a glass and taking a seat. Genvass found a spot opposite of him, while Rúna perched on the edge of a nearby chair, mindful of her sword, while the Corsair touched an icon on the console beside him, bringing a monitor to life.

“We get any electronic passengers, Xuilan?” he asked the pilot.

“We sure did,” she confirmed. “I’ve got her stored in the buffer for now. Just waiting on the word from you.”

“Keep her away from the critical systems and databases, but other than that, I think we’re good,” he instructed her. “Let me know if there are any problems. Hadad, clear.” That accomplished, he blanked the screen and returned his attention to his guests.

“You said we should talk,” the ambassador began, “and I agree. I recently had a conversation with my clan leader, which led me to the conclusion there’s more going on here than any of us realize.”

“There usually is,” Remi observed.

Genvass nodded in agreement. “Before I relay to you the contents of our discussion, I would dearly like to know why you stole this ship and attacked the To’uuk homeworld.” He shook his head dolefully, as the weight of it all settled on his shoulders. “I don’t think you fully grasp what you’ve set in motion.”

“I am well aware of what we’ve begun,” Remi fired back.

“Are you?” the diplomat asked pointedly. “You had to realize how this ship would be seen by the other races. If it was your intent to impress upon them our superiority, there were other ways of accomplishing that. Safer ways, ones that wouldn’t turn even our allies against us.”

“The Alliance was a marriage of convenience, nothing more,” he said derisively. “The only reason it ever existed was because of the Troika. If it hadn’t been for them running roughshod over everyone else, you couldn’t have got those species to agree that water was wet. It was fear that drove them together, nothing more.”

Genvass started to speak, but Rúna beat him to it.

“You arrogant bastard,” she snarled. “You want to know who created the Alliance? I did. Me and Kai. We traded the Oivu the telepathic cure for them spreading the word. And it worked,” she growled. “If it wasn’t for the Alliance, you wouldn’t be sitting in that chair. They fought side by side with us, all the way to the bitter end. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to a pirate,” she said with scorn, “but it damn well meant something to us. And you are pissing all over it.” Rúna glared at him, daring him to make a move.

“... I step out for two minutes, and you’re already at each other’s throats,” Samara said from the doorway. Sighing theatrically, she poured herself a drink before taking a seat beside Remi. “If you kids can’t play nice, I’ll send you both to bed with no supper.” Grinning at her own witticism, she turned her attention to the ambassador. “Nice to see you again, Genvass,” she smiled. “What brings you by?”

“We were in the neighborhood,” he said dryly. “How’s your patient?”

“He should make a complete recovery,” she assured him. “I’ve already informed his captain.”

“That’s good news,” he answered. “But as relieved as I am to learn Karl’s going to be fine, we have much bigger problems.” He paused for a moment, struggling to find a diplomatic way of making his point, before opting for brevity instead. “You’ve declared war on the galaxy in humanity’s name,” he said in quiet horror. “Every species in the Perseus Arm is now aligned against us, and for what?” Genvass shook his head, unable to fathom their actions. “What could you possibly hope to gain?”

“Freedom,” Samara answered. “Freedom from exploitation, freedom from tyranny, freedom from slavery. We spent two hundred years dancing to their tune. Never again.”

“We already had that,” he retorted. “Once we claimed New Terra, no one could touch us, and you both knew that. Attacking the To’uuk convinced every other species they could be next, and they’re scared. Scared people do not make rational decisions. Terra knows we certainly don’t,” he said in dismay.

“They’re afraid of us?” Remi smiled. “Good. They should be scared. For two centuries they’ve harried us, tortured us, and even killed us when it suited them. Now it’s our turn.”

“So you plan on punishing the entire galaxy for the actions of a few,” he said in revulsion. “You want to commit mass murder on a scale that not even the Troika ever conceived of? What the hell is wrong with you?” He looked at them each in turn, as consternation filled his mortal soul. “And worst of all? I’ve heard this rant before. We all have.” Leaning forward, he fixed them both with his stare. “You sound exactly like Elder Brother when he unleashed the Yīqún.” The two glanced at one another in surprise before looking back at Genvass, their expressions hardening. “This isn’t about freedom, or security, or even justice,” he hissed. “This is about revenge, nothing more.”

“And what if it is?” Samara demanded. “Do you have any idea what I endured when I was forced to work for the Troika? Do you know how many of my fellow Proteans I saw turned into crippled lumps of flesh, so they could play god?” Her eyes went ice cold as she whispered, “Do you know how many innocents they forced me to murder, just to stay alive?”

“You think you’ve got the market cornered with playing executioner?” Rúna spat out. “You killed in… what? Ones and twos and threes? Those are rookie numbers. We killed in dozens and hundreds and thousands, depending on the contract. And as much as I’d like to claim I was fighting on the side of the angels, the truth is most of them were only guilty of having something those in power wanted for themselves.” She snorted in disgust. “So spare me your fucking pity party.”

“This is pointless,” Remi sneered. “It’s obvious we won’t convince one another. Besides, what’s done is done. There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle. The other races will simply have to accept that things have changed. The Troika ruled over this galaxy for five thousand years. Now, it’s our turn.”

“And so the cycle of vengeance continues,” Genvass said quietly. “Round and round it goes, and no one is safe from it.” He looked up at them both, his eyes wet with emotion. “Is that the future you want for our people? For our children, after all we’ve suffered?” He buried his face in his hands, overcome with sudden emotion, before slowly rising to his feet.

“... I have to believe there’s a better way,” he implored them, giving them both one last look before exiting the compartment.